Vroon expands fleet further

Dutch provider of offshore support vessels, Vroon Offshore Services, which owns a fleet of more than a hundred vessels, has expanded its fleet with a brand new platform supply vessel, built in China.

The vessel, named VOS Partner, was recently delivered to the company from Cosco Guandong shipyard in China. The VOS Partner measures 83.48 meters in LOA , 18 meters in breadth and 8 meters in depth.

Furthermore, the vessel designed by Ulstein, provides 850 m2 deck space and a load capacity of 4,200 tonnes (dwt). Also, what is interesting about the VOS Partner, the vessel is the 100th Ulstein-design vessel.

The VOS Partner, part of the series of six sister vessels ordered by Vroon, will operate in European waters under the management of Vroon Offshore Services Den Helder.

It is unclear if the vessel already has a contract secured. Since the oil prices started falling in July 2014, oil companies have cut their investment plans, causing the OSV-suppliers to struggle for new, long-term contracts, and start stacking their vessels, hoping for prices to go up.

There are more then a hundred vessels laid up in the North Sea area, including platform supply vessels, anchor handlers and multi-purpose offshore ships, with more new vessels incoming to the already oversupplied market.

While there is obviously no need for new tonnage at the moment, the owners are forced to take new deliveries as they had ordered the vessels before the oil went down.

That Vroon, which took delivery on another PSV last week, is not immune to the market situation states the fact that the company in October 2015 said it would take twelve offshore-support vessels out of operation, citing the ongoing slump in offshore oil and gas activities.

Offshore Energy Today Staff