One vessel leaving its fleet as DOF moves to bring in 2011-built duo

February 20, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Norwegian vessel owner DOF Group has taken steps to expand its fleet with the acquisition of two anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels. The firm has also decided to offload one AHTS ship.

The company’s quest to high-grade its AHTS fleet has led to an agreement to purchase the 2011-built AHTS Aurora Saltfjord and Aurora Sandefjord vessels, featuring a bollard pull of almost 400 metric tonnes, said to be among the most powerful AHTS vessels globally. The first vessel is expected to be delivered in April 2026, and the second AHTS is slated for delivery in June/July 2026.

The vessels are perceived to add significant capacity to execute subsea projects and contribute with meaningful subsea regions earnings on top of vessel earnings. The company sees very strong market outlook for projects that require high-end AHTS vessels in the years to come.

Mons S. Aase, CEO of DOF Group, commented: “Through these transactions, we further enhance DOF’s position as a leading player in the high-end AHTS market. This is a vessel segment which is core to our strategy of being a leading player for mooring projects globally, and Skandi Saltfjord and Skandi Sandefjord will add valuable capacity to deliver integrated offshore services to our clients.

“The AHTS market has lagged the broader subsea vessel market somewhat, and we now see clear signs that the AHTS market is catching up driven by strong demand across geographies. We already have project backlog for Skandi Skansen in 2027, showing that clients are securing this type of critical capacity earlier than previously, and we further see a strong pipeline of prospects that suit high-end AHTS vessels.”

DOF has agreed to sell the 2010-built AHTS Skandi Laser with a bollard pull of 252 metric tonnes subject to final documentation. The vessel has recently been working on a subsea project in West Africa and the spot market. This AHTS is expected to be delivered to its new owner in May 2026.

DOF will continue to have management responsibilities of Skandi Laser. The net investment from the transactions is approximately $100 million, of which around $30 million is expected to be cash and the rest financed with available debt funding.

The divestment of the vessel is anticipated to result in a gain on book value of about $12 million to be recorded in Q2 2026. The firm’s high-grading strategy aims to be net neutral with regards to acquisition costs and divestments proceeds.

Aase added: “Our recent vessel transactions, with the sale of three smaller and older vessels last year together with these transactions, follows our strategy of high-grading the DOF fleet.

“We expect to continue our fleet optimisation efforts, and will prioritise divestment of vessels that are not core to our strategy going forwards with the target to balance out the net total investment cost.”

Meanwhile, DOF is getting ready to begin an offshore project in Argentina, where two of its vessels are expected to work.