Page 17: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (July 2005)

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Bourbon Orca (Ulstein AX104) is an

AHTS (Anchor Handling Tug Supply

Vessel) and the latest of the modern off- shore oil and gas marine service vessels christened in Aalesund, Norway.

Bourbon Orca, scheduled to work under contract with Norsk Hydro, is the result of a collaboration between Bourbon

Offshore, Ulstein Design and ODIM, which specializes in marine automated systems. Bourbon Orca offers the bene- fits of a revolutionary design with an inverted bow (the trademark Ulstein X-

BOW). "Thinking outside the box is a credo at Ulstein Design, a credo that we work to translate into action. However, it is not enough to think new; we need to work with marine companies that are bold enough to dare to become involved and innovate with us. Bourbon Offshore

Norway has shown us that it belongs to this group of pioneers, because it was immediately enthusiastic and participat- ed with the completion of this innova- tive project," said Tore Ulstein, Chief

Executive Officer of Ulstein Design

A.S. This design is reported to improve the stability, fluidity and maneuverabili- ty of the vessel, allowing it to operate at higher cruising speeds under difficult conditions. It substantially minimizes the pitching, slamming and vibrations of the running vessel.

When the vessel is in a dynamic posi- tion, the shape of the bottom limits the effects of eddies and banging. As a result, the Bourbon Orca will be able to operate under very difficult sea condi- tions, particularly in the North Sea. "We were truly excited about the design of this vessel and the tank trials showed us that this hull offers excep- tional advantages over traditional hulls," said Trond Myklebust, Managing

Director of Bourbon Offshore Norway. "In addition to the fact that it reduces fuel consumption, this hull improves onboard comfort, offering the crews greater safety and rest."

In order to respect one of Bourbon's major commitments-to respect the envi- ronment, the Bourbon Orca is equipped with diesel-electric propulsion. This vessel will be the first AHTS to be equipped with this solution, combined with azimuth thrusters.

This technology, combined with the hull design, is said to significantly reduce gas and toxic emissions and ensure significant fuel savings. While with a conventional propulsion system, the engines of an AHTS run continuous- ly, with this type of propulsion, only the energy needed is consumed, generating both economic and environmental bene- fits. When discussing the commission- ing of this new vessel, Christian

Lefèvre, Deputy CEO of Bourbon and

Managing Director of the Offshore

Division, said: "Safety is a priority for

Bourbon. With the Bourbon Orca, we are revolutionizing the standards for modern offshore oil and gas service ves- sels. This vessel offers better safety per- formance, but also better environmental performance and energy consumption, which gives Bourbon a real competitive advantage in the sector."

The ODIM system is a concrete implementation of the Bourbon QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety and

Environment) system. From the begin- ning of this project, Bourbon Offshore

Norway, strongly encouraged by the

Statoil oil company, partnered with

Ulstein and ODIM (a recognized hydraulic solutions supplier) in order to develop a solution to improve personnel safety on the after deck of the vessel.

This collaboration produced the SAHS

System which eliminates any human presence on the after deck of the vessel during the most dangerous operations.

The after deck is equipped with two mobile cranes equipped with articulated grappling hooks, a control system and a remote activated video surveillance sys- tem, as well as a mobile anchor handling platform system to replace the tradition- al stern roller. As a result, no member of the crew is on the after deck, which pre- vents any risk from handling equipment or a cable failure. "Everyone agrees that the risks are much too high in this type of operation; this is why we decided to change things with this vessel," said

Myklebust. The SAHS system is the result of the highly technical study con- ducted at the local level by operators that are very much the leaders in the market. We were inspired by Statoil's invitation to develop safer anchor han- dling operations. As a result, in partner- ship with ODIM and Ulstein Design, we developed a radically different concept," he said. "We relied on the expertise and experience of captains, seamen, crane operators and platform managers and on the expertise of our partners.”

Circle 5 on Reader Service Card

Bourbon Christens Bourbon Orca

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