Blue Protector Enters Work in the North Sea

The platform supply vessel Blue Protector was delivered from Ulstein Verft on September 23, 2013. The vessel is owned by Blue Ship Invest and managed by Atlantic Offshore. The vessel is going to the spot market in the North Sea.

Blue Protector is the final newbuild in a series of six platform supply vessels (PSV) of the PX121 design, and Atlantic Offshore already has the management for two vessels in this series. The latest vessels in the series have been adapted to requirements for work in the Norwegian sector. That includes more power in order to keep position in foul weather at rig, and NOx reduction for the exhaust emissions. In addition, the latest vessels carry the light ice class (ICE-C), to be prepared for work further north.

The first platform supply vessel in this series was delivered from Ulstein Verft in 2012. Blue Ship Invest, a wholly-owned company in Ulstein Group, decided at the time to invest in the construction of a series of newly developed medium-sized PSV designs in order to introduce them to the market. Market surveys had shown that the size and capacity would be very attractive for various assignments. All of the previously delivered vessels to Blue Ship Invest have entered into firm contracts in the North Sea, and the interest in this design has been steadily increasing world-wide. So far, Ulstein has sold design and equipment packages for eight of these vessels for construction at several yards in Southeast Asia and China.

The vessels of the PX121 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 Protector 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 4,100 metric tons (dwt), and the 850-square-meter cargo deck can carry a deck load of 2,200 metric tons. In addition to tanks for oil, water and drilling fluids, the vessel has four stainless steel tanks for flammable liquids. Blue Protector has modern accommodation for 23 persons, is equipped with a dynamic positioning system IMO class II and meets the requirements of DNV’s Clean Design notation.

ulstein.com