Page 45: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2, 2010)

May 2010 www.marinelink.com 45

Topaz: Second Vessel for $225m BP Contract

Topaz Energy and Marine took delivery of

Caspian Protector, a vessel to be deployed in Azer- baijan in support of a 10 year $225 million BP con- tract won in 2008. The Caspian Protector is a 61-m vessel designed for emergency recovery and re- sponse (ERRV), standby duties and fire fighting op- erations. It is the first vessel in the Caspian region to be equipped with three daughter craft and two fast rescue craft. The vessel is equipped with Dynamic

Positioning capabilities (DP1) and will assist in the safekeeping of workers on various oil production platforms in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea.

The importance of ERRV’s in oilfield safety serv- ices was demonstrated by Topaz in 2008 when an- other ERRV in Topaz’s Azeri fleet, the ‘Baki’, was put to the test. A gas leak at one of the Azeri plat- forms prompted a rig evacuation of 211 per- sonnel, one of the largest offshore evacua- tions worldwide. The evacuation was safely executed by the ‘Baki’ crew in less than two hours and resulted in BP awarding the Captain and crew the BP President’s Award. The financing for the Caspian Protector is provided by DVB Bank of

Germany as part of a $84 million term loan facility including three other vessels on time-charter to BP.

CCGS Viola M Davidson

The CCGS Viola M Davidson, 61-ft. Fisheries Re- search Vessel was launched March 3, 2010 on the high tide in the Unesco town of Lunenburg Nova

Scotia. The vessel was designed and built by ABCO

Industries Limited. CCGS Viola M Davidson will operate out of St Andrew's, New Brunswick. The vessel will carry out a variety of fisheries science work including trawling, dragging, bottom sampling and water quality analysis in the Bay of Fundy. “The vessel has met and exceeded the contract re- quirements and our expectations. The Viola M

Davidson is a fine example of the very high qual- ity design, workmanship and service from ABCO” said Roger Doucett, CCG Project Manager.

Email: [email protected]

Main Particulars

Length, o.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 ft.

Length, w.l. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56.1 ft.

Beam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17.7 ft.

Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.9 ft.

Propulsion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Volvo D12 @ 490hp

Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 knots +

Gibdock Converts Solstad Offshore

Solstad Offshore is redeploying two platform supply vessels as potable water and fuel oil carriers to service

Brazil’s offshore rig market for Petrobras, after comple- tion of a major conversion project at Gibraltar-based Gib- dock. The project saw the 2006-built Normand Trym (3,326 dwt) in drydock and the 2008-built Normand Vi- bran (3,376 dwt) alongside at the Gibraltar yard, in order that mud tanks on each vessel could be converted to store 1500 cu. m. of fresh water storage, with other tanks con- verted for 800 cu. m. of fuel oil carriage. “We have un- dertaken routine repair work for Solstad in the past, building up a solid relationship with a high value client,” said Richard Beards, Gibdock Commercial Director. “However, this is the first time we have undertaken one of their conversion projects. As well as general steelwork, the job included installation of steel tank floors, which were prefabricated by Gibdock in order to minimize the need to weld in position. All converted tanks were blasted and coated, with a specialized 500 micron thick Sigma paint applied in a single operation. The job also saw the

No:1A ballast water tank (Forepeak Tank) blasted and coated for carriage of fresh water.

Normand Trym entering Gibdock’s cov- ered drydock.

Roy Donaldson, COO,

Topaz Marine