Page 53: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2011)

Ulstein delivered the seismic research vessel Oceanic Sirius to Eidesvik and CGGVeritas on October 3, 2011. Oceanic Sirius is designed and built in accordance with strict environmental standards and equipped with state-of-the-art technologyfor advanced seismic research operations. She is owned by a joint venture between Eidesvik and CGGVeritas. Eidesvik is recognized for its focus ongreen solutions anddedication to the de-velopment of envi- ronmentally soundships. CEO of Ei-desvik, Jan FredrikMeling, said: ?We are pleased to take delivery of another vessel of ULSTEIN quality; a vessel de- signed and built to minimize harmfulemissions to the environment while of- fering the best possible working environ- ment for our seafarers. This is the third X-BOW vessel we now own and based on the performance of the first two, Viking Poseidon and Oceanic Vega, we have great expectations for the Oceanic Sir- ius.? CGGVeritas is known as an innova- tive, responsible and high-end provider of geophysical technologies, services and equipment. Jean-Georges Malcor, CEO of CGGVeritas, said: ?We look forward to the Oceanic Sirius matching the excel- lent seismic performance of her sistership, the Oceanic Vega. She has been de- signed for optimum propulsion and seis-mic reliability to ensure minimum ofoperational downtime. Her outstanding qualities will make her a valuable addi- tion to the CGGVeritas seismic fleet.? Oceanic Sirius is a powerful seismic re- search vessel with a dynamic towing force of 140 tons. The vessel is suited for acquisition of large 3D, 4D or high-reso- lution projects. The vessel´s 20 streamer winches are each capable of spooling 9km of streamers. Carrying an ICE-C clas-sification, the Oceanic Sirius can operate in new frontier areas. EFFICIENTOceanic Sirius is designed to stay per- manently at sea with five-year docking intervals. There are enough engines and generator sets on board to conduct main-tenance at sea and refuelling is carried outby dedicated support vessels. The vessel is equipped with two CP (controllable pitch) propellers in a nozzle, each driven by two frequency converter-driven elec- tric motors. This allows smooth speed control of around five knots during seis- mic acquisition. Two work boats will be used for maintenance of in-water equip- ment. Oceanic Sirius complies with the CleanDesign demands as well as the redundantpropulsion notation from DNV. The ves- sel?s redundant propulsion system en- sures thatpropulsion andsteering remain in-tact after failure in parts of the system.Diesel electricpropulsion reducesfuel consumptionand atmosphericemissions. In addi-tion to modern sys-tems for sludge,garbage and sewage handling, a complete ballast water treat- ment system has been installed on board.The system prevents the spreading of ma- rine organisms from one geographic area to another with the ballast water, a cause of potentially serious ecological, eco-nomical and health problems in the hostenvironment. Oceanic Sirius complies with the IMOcode of safety for special purpose ships(SPS code) for up to 70 persons. She is ahigh-standard comfort class vessel with an internet cafe, a gymnasium and asauna. There are 52 single cabins and only nine double cabins on board. The mess room, galley and the four dayrooms have large windows facing the sea to add comfort for the crew. The vessel is equipped with a helideck to facilitate an efficient crew change. The X-BOW hull line design results in lower added resist- ance and smoother bow immergence, leading to reduced operational distur- bance and involuntary speed reduction. MODERNThe ship?s instrument room, with its er- gonomically designed interior, is locatedat the stern with large windows facing the sea. It is placed directly above the seis- mic area, with a direct view of the streamer deck. A storage area above the instrument room is served by a knuckle jib crane with a capacity of 10 tons at 20m outreach. The two offshore cranes placed on C-deck mid-ship have a capac- ity of 15 tons at 18 metres outreach andcan be used to lift supplies on board fromservice vessels. November 2011www.marinelink.com 53Ulstein Delivers Seismic RV Vessel Highlights  OwnerEidesvik & CGGVeritas JV Dynamic towing force 140 tons  Streamers 20  Duration at Sea 5 Years* * Designed for engine & generator mainte-nance at sea, refueling is carried out by dedi- cated support vessels. MR Nov.11 # 7 (50-56):MR Template 10/28/2011 11:38 AM Page 53