Offshore Vessels

Offshore vessels are specialized marine ships designed for various tasks related to offshore oil
and gas drilling, oceanic exploration, and support for offshore platforms.

Types and Categories of Offshore Vessels

The offshore industry relies on a variety of specialized vessels for tasks ranging from exploration
to construction. Some of the most famous ones are:
 Oil Exploration and Drilling Vessels
 Offshore Support Vessels
 Offshore Production Vessels
 Construction/Special Purpose Vessels

Oil Exploration and Drilling Vessels

Oil Exploration and Drilling Vessels are purpose-built marine ships specifically engineered for
the tasks of hydrocarbon exploration, drilling, and sometimes production. They are usually
equipped with advanced technology, including drilling rigs and navigational systems, to function
efficiently in open water conditions.
Functions of Oil Exploration and Drilling Vessels
The core functions of Oil Exploration and Drilling Vessels are manifold:
 Seismic Surveying: These vessels carry out seismic studies to locate possible oil and gas
reserves beneath the ocean floor.
 Drilling: Equipped with drilling rigs, these ships drill wells to access hydrocarbon
reserves.
 Well Testing and Intervention: Post-drilling, these vessels often handle well testing to
ascertain the reserve’s viability and perform interventions to enhance or restore
productivity.

Types of Oil Exploration and Drilling Vessels

The types of Oil Exploration and Drilling Vessels can be broadly classified into:
 Drillships: Highly maneuverable and suited for deep waters, drillships are equipped with
drilling rigs and can relocate without the need for towing.
 Semi-submersibles: These are partially submerged vessels that offer a stable drilling
platform, especially useful in rough seas.
 Jack-up Rigs: These are mobile drilling platforms with legs that can be lowered to the
seabed to provide stability during drilling operations. They are generally used in
shallower waters.
  Offshore barge: is a wide flat bottomed boat that are smaller and designed for short-
distance transportation
 Well Intervention Vessel: A dynamically positioned (DP) ship-shaped offshore unit
provided with equipment for well stimulation or maintenance (e.g. coil tubing). Types:-
Light (Perform maintenance on offshore wells) and Heavy (Pump fluids to enhance
productivity)

Offshore Support Vessels

Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs) are an integral category of marine vessels, specifically
designed to assist in the operations of offshore drilling rigs, oil platforms, and other types of
maritime facilities. Unlike Oil Exploration and Drilling Vessels, OSVs are not engaged in the
drilling or production process but rather provide essential support services.

Functions of Offshore Support Vessels

The functions of Offshore Support Vessels are varied but indispensable:
 Supply Duties: OSVs are heavily utilized for carrying food, fresh water, fuel, and
equipment to offshore platforms and drilling sites.
 Personnel Transportation: They are responsible for ferrying workers to and from
offshore locations.
 Anchor Handling: Many OSVs have specialized equipment to manage the anchors for
drilling rigs and production platforms.
 Emergency Response: Certain OSVs are equipped for firefighting, oil spill recovery, and
rescue operations, ensuring safety at sea.

Types of Offshore Support Vessels

 Platform Supply Vessels (PSV): Primarily used to transport goods and supplies to and
from offshore platforms. Types:- Supply and Firefighting
 Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS): Specialized for towing drilling rigs and managing
anchors. Types:- Standard and Multipurpose
 Multi-Purpose Support Vessels (MPSV): Versatile vessels that can perform a range of
duties, from supply and anchor handling to sub-sea construction and installation tasks.
 Accommodation vessel: They have living quarters, cabins, and usually dining rooms, and
recreation facilities such as a gym.
 Seismic survey vessel: maps out geological features in the seabed so that the optimal
location for drilling for oil or gas in the oceans can be pinpointed.
Offshore Production Vessels
They are the heart of the offshore oil and gas industry, housing both production facilities and
crew accommodations. These are the behemoths where the raw hydrocarbons are processed
into usable forms.

The Role of Offshore Production Vessels

 Floating Production Systems: With built-in processing plants, OPVs function as mobile
factories, ready to process hydrocarbons right where they're extracted.
 Storage and Offloading: Many OPVs have large storage tanks to keep processed oil
before transferring it to tankers or pipelines. This is often denoted by the term 'FPSO,'
which stands for Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading.
 Living Quarters: Not only are they production giants, but they also offer living
accommodations for the crew.
 Versatility: Some OPVs are versatile enough to be converted into drilling platforms,
especially if a promising reserve is found.

Types of Offshore Production Vessels

 Floating Production Systems (FPS): Stationary platforms anchored to the seabed,
optimized for production, but not drilling. Mostly moored in one location for an
extended period
 Tension-leg Platforms (TLP): Floating platforms tethered to the seabed in such a way
that they offer both mobility and stability, suitable for deep waters.
 SPAR Platforms: These platforms use large cylinders filled with air and water to provide
buoyancy, making them suitable for deeper waters and more volatile sea conditions.
 Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG): Specialized vessels designed to produce and
process liquefied natural gas on the spot, then store it until it can be offloaded onto a
tanker.
 Shuttle Tanker: This vessel is equipped with off-loading equipment that is compatible
with the oil field, rig or vessel it works with.

Construction/Special Purpose Vessels

Construction/Special Purpose Vessels may not get the limelight, but these specialized ships are
the backbone of any large-scale offshore project. From laying undersea pipelines to
constructing offshore wind farms, these vessels do it all.
The Role of Construction/Special Purpose Vessels
 Pipeline and Cable Laying: Imagine laying down the internet connectivity or oil pipelines
for an entire ocean. These ships do exactly that.
 Heavy Lifting and Installation: From installing offshore drilling rigs to setting up wind
turbines, if it's heavy and needs to be in the middle of the ocean, these ships get the
call.
 Dive Support and ROV Operations: These ships provide the crucial support needed for
human divers and remotely operated vehicles to perform underwater construction and
maintenance tasks.
 Survey and Seismic Operations: Specialized in assessing the seabed and underwater
structures, these vessels play a pivotal role in planning any offshore project.

Types of Construction/Special Purpose Vessels

 Crane Vessels: These are the true heavy lifters, equipped with massive cranes for
construction duties.
 Pipe-Laying Vessels: Specially designed to lay undersea pipelines, these vessels have
unique onboard facilities to weld, inspect and lay pipes as they go.
 Well-Intervention Vessels: These ships are geared toward servicing existing wells to
enhance or restore their productivity.
 Diving Support Vessels: These are equipped with saturation diving systems and dynamic
positioning to support deep-sea diving operations. Types:- Surface supplied and
Saturation Diving.

Operating Costs for running a Vessel

The total OPEX of running an offshore vessel is around 5000 USD per day. It
can be further divided into the following heads.
Crew Costs (50%)

 Salaries and Wages

 Insurance and Benefits
 Training and Certification
 Crew Rotation and Logistics

Fuel and Lubricants (“expense not borne by the owner)

 Fuel Consumption
 Lubricant Costs

Maintenance and Repairs (20%)

  Scheduled maintenance
 Emergency Repairs
 Spare Parts

Insurance (10%)

 Hull and Machinery Insurance

 P&I (Protection and Indemnity) Insurance

Port Fees and Charges (“expense not borne by the owner”)

 Berthing Fees
 Pilotage Fees
 Tonnage Dues
 Towage Fees

Provisions and Stores (10%)

 Food and Beverage

 Cleaning Supplies
 Office Supplies

Communications and IT (5%)

 Satellite Communications

Regulatory Compliance (5%)

 Flag State Fees

 Port State Control Inspections