HANSA 06-2019

Offshore
OSV reactivation and its challenges
Owners of offshore support vessels considering reactivation of laid up assets must satisfy
multiple safety and operational issues before class is restored
Increased demand for production units
means there are some positive signs
from the OSV market, leading to increased
reactivations of laid-up vessels as
new and delayed contracts are awarded.
While not all of these vessels will re-enter
the active fleet, the topic of reactivation
has become more popular as the recovery
in the oil price continues and operators
seek to position themselves to capture
the potential upside.
Asset owners need to carefully consider
their options before reactivation.
Among the issues to be considered are
the vessel’s age and its level of quality
in terms of equipment and technology;
whether it is warm or cold stacked also
drives the decision. Reactivation is ultimately
an economic choice for the owner
and is likely to be based on the cost of
the process versus the length of a potential
service contract. Lead times are short
because multiple vessels are in competition
for the same work and the degree of
readiness can vary widely.
Different owners will have applied varying
levels of technical capability during
the lay-up and whether this process is
done with a reactivation plan, as well as
the quality of the preservation itself will
have an impact. Financial risks include
the total cost of work to be done, including
transportation of teams to the facility
to perform the work or to the vessel. The
reactivation timescale can include the
availability of materials, the readiness of
class, flag and vendors to support as well
as software and automation plans.
Modern OSVs can include complex
technology such as dynamic positioning,
power management and control systems
which must be brought up to date. Software
must be upgraded and IT systems
will need new cyber security measures.
Structural issues can include hull condition,
corrosion, wastage and the replacement
of parts. It is not unusual to
find doors and hatches rusted and corroded
and general corrosion on deck, in
ventilators and air pipes.
Damen Shipyards built the »Bibby Wavemaster Horizon«
The vessel must be checked for unapproved
modifications and replacement
of outdated or missing parts. The owner
must understand the duration of the survey,
whether to undertake a Failure Mode
Effect Analysis and whether the vessel will
require an audit under the International
Safety Management Code, or the International
Ship and Port Facility Security
Code. An interim audit will be required
by the vessel’s flag state if the unit has been
laid up for more than six months.
In the years since the downturn in
the oil price, OSV operators have lost
more than vessel capacity. In many cases
they also lost people, a base of technical
knowledge and expertise that could be vital
to restarting vessel operations. This is
the technical void that class aims to fill.
© Damen Shipyards
A new Esvagt trio will be delivered in 2020-2021
© Esvagt
Key factor wind farm development
Developers of offshore windfarms face a
number of challenges in addition to the
environment in which they are constructed.
These include the regulatory regime
that lays out strict rules on cabotage trade
and safety requirements that encourage
the concept of ‘walk to work’ for technical
teams working on the construction and
during subsequent maintenance.
New wind farm development is also
driving the flexibility of vessels that support
installation, operation and mainte-
76 HANSA International Maritime Journal 06 | 2019