New supervision-vessel by Maritime Partner

It will be operated for the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries (NDF) along the length of the Norwegian coast.

Norwegian Rig Shuttle has also entered into a contract with NDF’s office in Tromso – the contract will run for three years from January 2018 and includes the option of additional years.

“Because of the current vessels vulnerability to harsh weather conditions, we have had a desire for a more robust alternative. Now we finally have the chance to acquire the right tool for the job,” said section chief of NDF region North, Rolf Harald Jensen.

He added: “For the time being, we are adjusting our capacity to one vessel and still we are able to be more operative and less vulnerable with regards to safety of operations, the crew and the environment. This has been a core demand of our requirement specification.”

The new supervision vessel will be built and equipped to operate in the most northern parts of Norway during the arctic winter.

This ensures less weather dependency for NDF’s operations, and provides higher operability for their fishery inspection. During the summer months, the vessel will be operating in the southern parts of Norway.

The vessel, which is of Maritime Partner design Alusafe 2000 MPV (Multi-Purpose Vessel) will be ready for delivery in December 2017.

Alusafe 2000 MPV is a new design, tailor made for NDF. The design is based on a tried and tested hull, which has been used for a number of vessels and is well suited for both open and shallow waters.

It will be fitted with a Seabear 20 workboat from Maritime Partner at the stern. The supervision vessel will have a crew consisting of a captain from Norwegian Rig Shuttle and two inspectors from NDF.

Norwegian Rig Shuttle delivers maritime services for maintenance operations, towing, personnel- and goods transportations, and additional services. This vessel will be the first from Maritime Partner in their fleet.

“We are very happy with our choice of supplier, and what we have seen of reference-vessels have been very good. With regards to this vessel, it will be operational seven days a week, in very demanding conditions, and we are very satisfied with the array of equipment, choice of materials and technical solutions,” concluded Kjetil Hantveit, CEO of Norwegian Rig Shuttle.

By Alice Mason