UAE: Polarcus Holds Naming Ceremony for Two New Seismic Vessels

Polarcus Limited announced that it has held a double naming ceremony on 16 February 2011 for the Company’s newest vessels, POLARCUS SAMUR and POLARCUS ALIMA, to join the industry’s most modern 3D seismic fleet.

The ceremony was held at the Drydocks World – Dubai shipyard in the United Arab Emirates and was attended by over 250 local and international guests.

Mrs. Nikki Rigg, wife of Polarcus Chairman Peter Rigg, and Mrs. Vangie Ronningen, wife of Polarcus CEO Rolf Ronningen, assumed the roles of Godmother to POLARCUS SAMUR and POLARCUS ALIMA respectively.

POLARCUS SAMUR is a purpose-built 8 streamer 3D seismic vessel of the ULSTEIN SX133 design. The SX133 design has an overall length of 84.2m and a beam of 17m. POLARCUS SAMUR has a maximum speed of 18 knots and is capable of deploying up to 8 streamers each of 6,000m length, or 6 streamers each of 8,000m length, with lateral streamer separations of between 25 and 200 meters.

POLARCUS ALIMA is a purpose-built 12 streamer 3D seismic vessel of the ULSTEIN SX134 design and sister ship to POLARCUS ASIMA currently in production off the Falkland Islands. The SX134 design is the largest in the Company’s fleet with an overall length of 92m and a beam of 21m. POLARCUS ALIMA has a maximum speed of 15 knots and is capable of deploying 12 streamers of 9,000m length at 100m separation.

Both POLARCUS SAMUR and POLARCUS ALIMA are ‘Arctic-ready’ with an ICE-1A class notation, double hull, and an advanced ballast water treatment system that eliminates the risk of introducing invasive species into fragile ecosystems such as those found in the Arctic.

The names Samur and Alima are derived from the Arabic female names meaning respectively ‘swift’ and ‘wise’. The Samur name was chosen to represent her strong propulsion capabilities and her ability to transit at speeds of up to 18 knots. The Alima name was chosen to reflect the vessels low environmental footprint and associated advanced features designed to safeguard the environment in the harshest of operating conditions.

About Polarcus

Polarcus is a pure play marine geophysical company with a pioneering environmental agenda, specializing in high-end towed streamer data acquisition from Pole to Pole. Polarcus is launching a fleet of modern 3D seismic vessels using the innovative ULSTEIN X-BOW® design and incorporating advanced maritime technologies for improved operational efficiency with a reduced environmental footprint. Polarcus offers contract seismic surveys and multi client projects worldwide and has its principal office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

[mappress]

Source:Polarcus, February  17, 2011;