India: Cochin Shipyard Delivers Fourth AHTS to SCI

Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) today delivered a 120T Bollard pull Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessel (AHTS), “SCI URJA”, bearing Hull No. BY-80, to The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd, Mumbai (SCI). This is the last in a series of 4 Nos of 120T Bollard pull AHTS’ being built by CSL for SCI.

The Protocol documents of the ship were signed by Mr. P .Vinayakumar, Director (Technical) on behalf of Cochin Shipyard and Capt. K. Devadas, Senior Vice President (Technical & Offshore Services) on behalf of SCI, in the presence of Cmde. K. Subramaniam, CMD, Director (Finance), Director (Operations) and other senior officials from CSL and SCI.

The vessel is of AH03 type, designed by STX OSV, Norway (ex-Aker Yards) and is certified under dual class by the Rules and Regulations of Indian Register of Shipping and American Bureau of Shipping. The vessel will be registered under Indian flag with Mumbai as the home port. This 65.2 x 16.0 Meter vessel is a high end anchor handling tug equipped with Rolls Royce Brattvaag Waterfall type anchor handling cum towing winch with a tested bollard pull of 120 T. The vessel is powered by 2 x 4000 KW diesel engines and two controlled pitch propeller in Kort Nozzles. The vessel is equipped with Grade I dynamic positioning feature along with compliance to ERRV class ‘C’, which allows the vessel to work as an emergency rescue and recovery vessel in case of an oil field exigency. The vessel also has the capability of the firefighting class I. The vessel has an accommodation facility for 29 persons with all the capabilities of a platform supply vessel in addition to the Anchor handling facility. These anchor handling tugs are the work horses of the offshore oil industry and are used extensively as support vessels for various rig movement/anchor handling and other offshore supply functions.

CSL has been consistently posting impressive performance in the last several years despite a severe market downturn in shipping and shipbuilding industry world over. A diversified product mix in shipbuilding consisting of commercial and defence ships along with a significant presence in shiprepair helped the company to post a profit of Rs 172 crores in 2011-12, a threefold increase from Rs 58 crores in 2006-07. The company presently has 25 ships on order consisting of the prestigious indigenous aircraft carrier for the Indian Navy, 20 fast patrol vessels for the Indian Coast Guard and four platform support vessels for export.

The shipyard plans to build on its positive performance and has impressive expansion plans for the future. CSL has already signed an agreement with Cochin Port Trust for setting up an international ship repair facility at an investment of approximately Rs 487 Crores over the next six years. The yard plans to diversify into offshore fabrication and take up docking of jack-up rigs to tap the potential of the increased offshore activity in the Indian Ocean area. CSL has already been qualified by ONGC for taking up their offshore fabrication work.

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CSL, February 25, 2013