Ulstein Delivers New PSV to Blue Ship Invest

Ulstein Verft delivered M/V Blue Fighter, the first of two medium-sized platform supply vessels (PSV) of the new PX121 design from ULSTEIN® to Blue Ship Invest, on 19 January 2012.

“The two vessels were ordered based on market trends showing a future increase in demand for this type of PSV. We have entered into an agreement with Remøy Shipping for the management of Blue Fighter and we are negotiating interesting contracts for the ship. In the first instance the vessel will enter the North Sea spot market,” says Gunvor Ulstein, CEO of Ulstein Group and Managing Director of Ulstein Shipping.

Ulstein Verft was contracted to build the two vessels for Blue Ship Invest, a shipping company in ULSTEIN, at the end of 2010, and the first vessel, yard number 291, is delivered to the agreed terms.

“The delivery of the first PX121 confirms Ulstein Verft’s ability to build prototype vessels. Experienced people, streamlined processes and a well-established project organisation make us a competitive and reliable shipbuilding partner for advanced offshore support vessels,” says Karsten Sævik, Managing Director of Ulstein Verft.

Efficiency and flexibility has been the focus in the development of the PX121 design. With optimised tank capacities and flexible and segregated tank arrangements, the multifunctional vessel is suitable for many types of supply contracts. The ship is optimised for certain types of operations and adapted to the requirements for longer and deeper boreholes and activities further from shore. In addition to tanks for oil, water and drilling fluids, the vessel has four stainless steel tanks for flammable liquids.

The vessel is built with the X-BOW® hull line design, which is particularly well-suited for this type of vessel. The X-BOW 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, advantageous qualities in terms of motion and propulsion efficiency in heavy seas. Both the hull and choice of propulsion system make the vessel particularly suited for North Sea and North Atlantic conditions. The vessel is equipped with a dynamic positioning system IMO Class II.

The ship has a length of 83.4 metres and a beam of 18 metres. It has a cargo deck of 875 square metres and a load capacity of 4200 tonnes (dwt). The ship meets the requirements of DNV’s Clean Design notation and is prepared for fire-fighting class Fi-Fi II. It has a maximum speed of circa 15 knots and modern accommodation for 24 persons.

Ulstein Power & Control has delivered a substantial amount of equipment to the vessel, including switchboards, the information and communication system ULSTEIN COM®, integrated navigations system with multi-functional workstations, and the integrated automation system ULSTEIN IAS®.

Blue Fighter’s sister vessel will be delivered from Ulstein Verft in Q3 of 2012.

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Offshore Nieuws Staff, January 20, 2012 ; Image: Ulstein Group