Bibby Offshore Expands Its North Sea DSV Fleet with Charter Agreement

Bibby Offshore, is expanding its fleet of North Sea class diving support vessels by signing a contract to charter the DPII DSV Mermaid Endurer from Subtech Ltd, on behalf of Mermaid Offshore Services.

The charter will run from April, 2014 for 200 days with extension options and a similar optional period has been agreed from 1st April 2015. The vessel will join Bibby Offshore’s DSV fleet which includes the Bibby Sapphire, Bibby Polaris and Bibby Topaz, providing additional capacity for clients.

Bibby Offshore business and commercial director, Andrew Duncan said: “The charter of the Mermaid Endurer will expand our capacity for our oil and gas clients in the North Sea, for the next two years and allow us to continue to deliver comprehensive DSV support and in this region.

“Subtech will also be providing additional assistance by providing personnel and we will work in close collaboration with our Diving Operations Department to supply diving staff.

“As well as the time-charter, we have also signed an exclusive agreement to market the vessel in the periods when we are not chartering it. This will be of great benefit to our clients, further underpinning our DSV business by giving us access to a fully-equipped vessel, from mid-January 2014 to the end of December 2015.”

Paul Whiley, managing director of Subtech Group and executive director of Mermaid Offshore Services said: “The signing of this charter represents our quest to find the Mermaid Endurer an appropriate avenue within this much sought after market, as we position ourselves for the forthcoming exciting period in our industry.

“The short term opportunities in the North Sea have clearly inspired the faith of the Bibby Board, and indeed the trust of Subtech/Mermaid’s Executorship. The vessel has already proven herself most satisfactorily within the region, and this was without doubt, a key consideration for us all. The signing offers an effective forum from which to springboard our combined energies – and the timing could not have been better, we are delighted.”

BOL and BRIL, part of Bibby Offshore has grown from 10 employees in 2003 to now employing more than 1,300 people onshore and offshore worldwide, with offices in Aberdeen, Liverpool, Singapore and Trinidad. The company has an international fleet of seven subsea support vessels and 12 Remote Operating Vehicles (ROV) and will continue to add to their fleet to meet demand.

Bibby Offshore, August 16, 2013