Ulstein Verft delivered Blue Thunder, the fourth of six medium-sized platform supply vessels of the PX121 design from Ulsteinto Blue Ship Invest, on Monday, May 13, 2013.
Owned by Blue Ship Invest, a wholly-owned company in Ulstein Group, the platform supply vessel (PSV) is commercially and technically under the management of Atlantic Offshore. Blue Thunder will enter a four-month contract with Statoil, with four monthly options.
“This ship also enters into a contract for work in the North Sea,” said Gunvor Ulstein, CEO of Ulstein Group and Managing Director of Ulstein Shipping, adding that the remaining two vessels will be delivered later this year and all six vessels are for sale.
In the North Sea, PSVs of the PX121 designs are considered medium-sized. The vessels with this design have an optimal combination of fuel-efficiency and deadweight. They have the capacities and performance close to the segment for larger PSVs, but at a cost that provides excellent value-for-money.
The vessels’ X-BOW hull line design offers efficiency over a wide draught range, which is important for PSVs as they frequently operate with varying loads. Moreover, the X-BOW has unique, beneficial qualities in terms of motion and propulsion efficiency in heavy seas. Both the hull and choice of propulsion system make the vessels particularly suited for North Sea and North Atlantic conditions.
Blue Thunder has a length of 83.4 meters and a beam of 18 meters, and keeps a maximum speed of approximately 16 knots. She has a load capacity of 4,200 tons (dwt), and the 850 square meter cargo deck can carry a deck load of 2,200 tons. In addition to tanks for oil, water and drilling fluids, the vessel has four stainless steel tanks for flammable liquids. Blue Thunder has modern accommodation for 23 persons, she is equipped with a dynamic positioning system IMO class II and meets the requirements of DNV’s Clean Design notation.
Ulstein Power & Control has delivered the electrical systems on board, including power distribution and electrical propulsion system, the information and communication system Ulstein COM, modular consoles and integrated navigation systems and the integrated automation system Ulstein IAS.
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