Norwegian multinational oil and gas company Statoil ASA and Singapore-headquartered AET, a global owner-operator of petroleum vessels, are extending their partnership in the North Sea shuttle tanker sector. Statoil has awarded a long-term contract to AET to operate two specialist dual-fuel DP2 offshore loading shuttle tankers (OLSTs) on long-term charter.
The two twin skeg 125,000dwt tankers will be built by Samsung Heavy Industries for delivery in 2019 and will be contracted to Statoil for operations both in oilfields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf of the North Sea, Norwegian Sea and the southern Barents Sea as well as on the UK Continental Shelf.
Built to a superior specification with a fatigue life based on 30 years of operations in the North Sea, they will be fully capable of working in the harshest of weather conditions. Each will be equipped with winterisation features, high power thrusters, shaft generators and the latest generation of bow loading system.
With a focus on energy efficiency, the shuttle tankers will be built with LNG dual-fuel for main and auxiliary engines and also an option to be fitted with a volatile organic compound (VOC) recovery system. Other environmental innovations will maximise fuel efficiency and minimise emissions. When in operation from 2019, these two DPSTs are expected to be the world’s first LNG fueled DPSTs and most energy efficient.
“The agreed newbuild state-of-the-art DP2 shuttle tankers will strengthen Statoil’s position for safe, efficient and cost competitive transportation of offshore loaded crude oil production to our customers. The fuel efficiency features built into these vessels, including LNG duel fuel capabilities, will significantly reduce operational costs and climate emissions. As such this contract is strongly aligned with Statoil’s sharpened strategy,” says Statoil’s senior vice president for asset management in Marketing, Midstream and Processing, Grete Birgitte Haaland.
The new dual-fuel vessels will be in addition to the two AET DP2 ships currently on charter, in the same area, for Statoil.
AET is a subsidiary of Malaysian energy shipping group MISC Berhad.
(Sources: Statoil ASA and AET)
