Maersk Supply vessels to support Chevron’s Gorgon drilling program

Offshore support vessel operator Maersk Supply Service has been awarded a contract with Chevron which will see two of its newbuild anchor handling tug supply vessels support the Gorgon Stage Two drilling program in Australia. 

Maersk Mariner; Source: MSS

MSS said on Wednesday that the Maersk Mariner and Maersk Master would provide towing, anchor handling, supply, and WROV services for the program in the Northwest Shelf of Western Australia.

According to the vessel owner, the Gorgon Stage Two drilling program is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2019.

David Lofthouse, head of commercial for Asia Pacific at MSS, said: “We are proud to have the opportunity to utilize the advanced capabilities of these new vessels to deliver superior service and contribute to the offshore development of this important project for the region.”

Maersk Mariner and Maersk Master have been working in Western Australia since September 2017 and March 2018 respectively, where they will remain until the contract begins.

Throughout the program, both vessels will be operated by local crews and supported from Maersk Supply Service’s Perth base.

As for the vessels, the Maersk Mariner and Maersk Master are the first two vessels of Maersk Supply Service’s Starfish newbuilding series, designed to minimize fuel consumption while maximizing reliability and onboard safety.

Following their delivery in 2017, three more vessels of the series have joined the fleet, with the final scheduled for delivery in early 2019.

In related news, Neptune Survey was recently awarded a five-year rig positioning contract by Chevron, starting in January 2019, for the Gorgon Stage Two drilling campaign.

Per the contract, Neptune will provide Global Navigational Satellite System precise point positioning, mooring chain catenary monitoring, and accurate subsea positioning using long baseline acoustic arrays.

Gorgon map; Source: Chevron