Shipbuilder lands four-vessel order for fast crew boats with Malaysian operator

Singapore-headquartered shipbuilder Strategic Marine has won a four-vessel order for 40m offshore fast crew boats (FCBs) from Surya Nautika, a provider of marine transportation and offshore support services for the Malaysian oil and gas industry. This is Strategic Marine’s third order in a row from a Malaysian operator.

While announcing the four-vessel order, Strategic Marine explained on Tuesday that its 40m Gen3 FCB, designed in collaboration with Australia’s Southerly Designs, was “fast emerging as a favourite” among marine services providers. The firm’s latest deal for this model will enable the vessels to be progressively delivered to the licensed Petronas contractor from the first quarter of 2023.

Wayne Poh, Strategic Marine General Manager, Commercial, remarked: “We are thankful and humbled by the confidence from the Surya Nautika team for this opportunity to support their fleet expansion plan and look forward to delivering these vessels in accordance with their expectations.”

Malaysia’s Surya Nautika, which owns and operates a fleet of seven crew boats, works with oil and gas giants such as Petronas, Shell and ExxonMobil and the new vessel orders are expected to combine expansion and a fleet renewal programme aimed at making Surya “one of the largest crew boat operators” in Malaysia, according to Strategic Marine.

Muhamad Faez Bin Ab Gani, Surya Nautika’s Managing Director, commented: “Our FCB fleet will now expand to ten ships during the course of next year which we expect to enable us to achieve economies of scale and to provide a wider range of services to our clients in the future. We look forward to collaborating further with Strategic Marine and hope to place additional orders in the near future.”

Furthermore, Strategic Marine highlights that the new vessel is “designed to meet the specific requirements of global oil majors” and will feature a remote-controlled water monitor with a capacity of 1200m³/hr, making it fully equipped to carry out external fire-fighting roles and safety standby duties.

Moreover, the three Caterpillar C32 engines driving fixed pitch propellors provide the FCB with “a robust and efficient propulsion system,” while station-keeping and manoeuvring are enhanced by a tunnel thruster installed at the bow, said the Asian shipbuilder.

In addition, the vessel will feature a large galley, and mess areas with dry store catering for a large crew with extended operational endurance and the passenger saloon will offer 80 reclining seats arranged with either single or twin seats in each row to provide additional space and privacy.

The Singapore-headquartered player outlines that the aft deck has “a large clear area” of 120m² with a deck strength of 2t/m². The company also adds that the vessel cargo fuel capacity is 70m³ and cargo freshwater capacity is 30m³, allowing for “extended endurance operations” at sea.

Additionally, Strategic Marine provides a complete turnkey, asset lifecycle solution for its clients, including service and maintenance, fabrication and engineering, marine logistics services and financial services and solutions for its products.

Regarding Strategic Marine’s recent activities, it is worth noting that the company revealed its new, versatile, 38m offshore FCB design with 40 knots plus service speed, future-proofed design and many other features and options in June 2022 to meet changing and evolving industry needs.

This vessel can be fitted with a motion-compensated gangway to offer a ‘walk-to-work’ safe transfer.