Page 16: of Marine News Magazine (April 2014)

Deepwater operations are increasingly demanding more personnel offshore, often for longer periods of time, plac- ing a greater emphasis on crew accommodation. Now, ac- commodation and special features join safety as the key components for a new range of comfortable, large-scale off- shore housing vessels. Emerging in this range is Hornbeck Offshore Services? HOS Achiever. On its own, the vessel presents as a relatively normal offshore multipurpose vessel. What?s unique about it, though, is what she accomplishes. In order to provide top-of-the-line offshore housing, Hornbeck has essentially converted the HOS Achiever into a  oating hotel ( otel) with total accommodation for the berthing of 267 persons by way of 93 air-conditioned and heated staterooms. Supporting all of that are the boat?s ample amenities which include a coffee and tea room, diner, exercise room, galley, internet café and quiet room, laundry room, locker/wash room, recreation areas, smoker?s lounge, sick bay and deck changing room. And with DP-3 positioning, a motion-compensated gangway, helideck, helicopter refuel- ing capabilities and a 160-metric-ton crane, HOS Achiever? safety and comfort are notably matched by functionality. The vessel?s active and passive stabilization equipment ? or roll dampening ? is a perfect example of where those metrics are achieved in a single application. Originally conceived as a dive support and construc- tion vessel, the HOS Achiever has lived up to its designa- tion as a multipurpose support vessel. Since its launch in 2008, it has supported a diverse range of offshore activities such as platform inspection, repair and maintenance activ- ity, well intervention projects including decommissioning and riserless intervention ? periodically serving as a  otel for major projects throughout. But Achiever?s capacity for accommodation has made her especially attractive to cus- tomers requiring  otel support, particularly for offshore construction and wind farm operations. Hornbeck recently won a contract to support the hookup and commissioning of an extended tension leg platform production facility in the ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico, a project that requires hundreds of offshore workers to transfer repeatedly between the worksite and dynamically positioned vessels over an extended period of time. Aiming to uphold- ing safety and expand upon the comfort range of previous  otel con gurations, Hornbeck consulted crew and opera- tions management teams as part of its meticulous con gura-BOAT OF THE MONTH M/V HOS ACHIEVER M/V HOS ACHIEVER Accommodations, Features and Comfort combine with Safety. Accommodations, Features and Comfort combine with Safety. All are key for Offshore Housing missions. All are key for Offshore Housing missions. By Eric HaunBy Eric HaunApril 201416 MNMN April14 Layout 1-17.indd 16MN April14 Layout 1-17.indd 163/21/2014 2:42:52 PM3/21/2014 2:42:52 PM