Offshore with 5 stars

Atlantic Marine Services B.V. (AMS) has within a short time become one of the leaders in the North Sea accommodation market and they continue to grow with a clear mission statement to deliver First Class Assets, First Class Personnel, First Class Management Systems, resulting in First Class Performance. AMS has set the trend in the jack-up offshore accommodation market by offering single cabins which enable the guests onboard to be able to work and relax in an ambiance comparable to a high quality hotel providing ‘Quality For Life Offshore’.

Following the voyage from Singapore on a Dockwise dry towage vessel the rig Atlantic Amsterdam arrived in the Port ofVlissingen early in July. The rig has been undergoing a comprehensive and thorough conversion from drilling rig into jack-up accommodation rig at the Damen Scheldepoort Repair and Conversion Yard in Vlissingen,in which also Dutch system integrator Alewijnse was involved. At the naming ceremony on Thursday 22 November the champagne bottle was released by Kristin Dvergsten, the wife of Dag Dvergsten, the chairman of the board of directors of AMS. Blessing the rig and crew onboard was performed by Pastor Kint of the Catholic Church in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, the Dutch village where the head office of AMS is situated. On completion of the conversion work, the rig will mobilise to the Danish Sector of the North Sea to start a long term contract for a major Danish operator.

Alfred Schwegler, CEO of AMS in the Netherlands, emphasised the company’s ability to succeed by telling the 200 guests at the event “Yes we can” repeating the mantra of US President, Barack Obama. AMS is one of the fastest growing offshore energy companies in the world. “Finding personnel to work offshore today however is not an easy matter”, he continued. “In the past twelve months the company has recruited almost 1,000 new personnel to work on their rapidly growing fleet of accommodation platforms and mobile drilling rigs.” Preben Nielsen, the AMS COO, said that AMS had identified the offshore wind energy sector as being a target of future contracts for AMS, with the heavy lift requirements of this industry being of particular interest.

The Atlantic Amsterdam accommodation provides First Class facilities in en suite single rooms for a total of 136 persons, including operational crew. TV flat screens in each room, exercise facilities, smoking and non smoking public rooms, and a sauna complete the clean, spacious and well designed unit. Last year AMS completed the refurbishment of the Atlantic Labrador in a similar style. A third AMS rig, the Atlantic London, is currently undergoing similar conversion work in a Far Eastern shipyard for a long term contract in South East Asia. A fourth accommodation rig, Atlantic Esbjerg, has been working in the North Sea for several years. The company also has three drilling rigs working offshore in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Atlantic Amsterdam was built as the Shelf Explorer in the CFEM Offshore Dunkerque yard, France, in 1982, and was owned until recently by Transocean, working off Sakhalin Island.

Dick Hill

Main features
Name:                        Atlantic Amsterdam
Builder:                      CFEM, France
Owner:                       Atlantic Marine Services BV,
the Netherlands
Refit:                           Scheldepoort BV,
the Netherlands
Type:                           Jack-up accommodation rig
Design:                      CFEM T-2005-C
Rated water depth: 300 ft
Classification:         DNV
Delivery year:           1982
Flag:                           Liberia