The company, which also has an office in Norway, says the equipment will position the company to meet increasing demand within the subsea sector, with ice-class vessels very much in demand.
The vessels will be used across the offshore sector, including offshore wind, oil and gas assignments.
The addition to Viking’s fleet will not come cheap: the company says it will spend $50 million (€45.6 million) on the upgrades, which it says will be financed with ‘cash at hand and existing credit facility’.
“”The project includes some modifications on certain vessels, including building ROV-hangars and installation of launch and recovery systems for ROVs,” it says.
Viking Supply Ships provides offshore anchor-handling and ice-breaking services, for which there has been no lack of demand in recent years.
Last year, the Swedish Coastguard told Maritime Journal that ice had been much thicker than in recent years, with two freighters trapped in January needing rescuing by a tug, which itself then became trapped.
This year the Northern Sea Passage across the Arctic Ocean, both east and west, has iced over some three weeks earlier than usual.
“Russia’s Northern Sea Route Administration announced that vessels with no ice class will have to vacate the waterway by October 15, around 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule,” according to the news platform gCaptain. “For vessels with light and medium ice classifications the navigation season will end on October 20 and October 31 respectively.”
Viking Supply Ships is expected to have the cranes in July 2026, for phasing in after that.
