Equinor awards new charter deals to Norwegian platform suppliers

Norwegian oil major Equinor has awarded charter contracts to two platform supply vessels (PSVs) owned by compatriot offshore vessel providers, Eidesvik and Havila Shipping.

The two platform suppliers in question are Eidesvik’s Viking Queen and Havila’s Havila Clipper.

Both vessels were initially chartered by Equinor back in April 2019. Contracts for both vessels were firm for four months with further options in the charterer’s favor and they started in the second quarter of 2019.

Equinor awarded another deal to the Viking Queen in July 2019. The contract period was for six months, which started in direct continuation of the previous deal. This charter expired at the end of August 2019.

In the latest round of contract awards, Eidesvik’s Viking Queen was awarded a new contract in direct continuation of the existing contract expiring at the end of February 2020.

Announcing this new deal on Thursday, Eidesvik said that the firm period of the new contract was eight months, with options for further extensions.

In a separate statement on the same day, Havila stated that it had also won an eight-month contract from Equinor for the Havila Clipper. The deal also includes four two-month optional periods.

Havila added that the expected startup under the new contract was in direct continuation of the existing contract for the vessel.

As for the vessels themselves, the Viking Queen platform supply vessel is of a VS 493 AVANT LNG design built-in 2008 by Westcon Yard in Ølensvåg, Norway.

Havila Clipper is a platform supply vessel of a Havyard 832 Design built in 2011.