Page 49: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2017)

day, Chevron was citing “lowered costs lion, so there’s money in MCVs. Now,

Growth by Design

Between third-quarter 2017 and the for goods and services” as the nod was the Mississippi River leads from the ? rst half of 2018, Vard will deliver to given for the world’s ? rst MCVs. This shipyards of Louisiana to the Gulf of

Topaz its ? rst order of 15 MCVs. It is Tengiz “modi? cation” is really a ? eld Mexico’s oil? elds, and the Xizang River understood that ? rst steel has been cut project that’ll cost $36.8 billion: $27.1 ? ows south to the South China Sea’s. billion for the facilities (to be brought The helpful spillover from Vard’s Rus- for all 17 Topaz vessels and that keel- laying has been prepared for “several”. in by the MCVs); $3.5 billion for wells sian riverboats may have no end: for

The three KMTF vessels — VARD 9 and $6.2 billion for “contingency and es- KMTF, diversi? cation away from tank- calation”. They’ll build 180 modules, a ers; for Vard a reversal away from trou- 28’s — are due for delivery in the ? rst source close to the consortium says, and bled Brazil ventures and a 2015 market three months of 2018. “None have been built to this design they’ll need to be moved by sea via hubs shock. or speci? cation before,” says Dilling, in Bulgaria, Finland (and for the three Building MCVs has given Vard new a nod to Vard’s ability to turnaround wider vessels) Kazakhstan to a newly legs, and more orders have come in this novel designs for mid-sized vessels in built Kazakh port at Prorva for assem- year than in the past two years com- short order. The orders bear testimony bly. “TCO (which is building and dredg- bined. “We’ll bring the company back to to the ? rm’s new-found designer clout ing the port) expects the transport of the previous values within three years, that’s and owner Fincantieri’s increasing faith modules to take at least three years com- our expectation,” says Dilling.

mencing from April 2018,” the source For Blue Water, the MCVs mark an- in its Romanian yards building com- plete complex vessels. Vard has quietly says. other major logistical undertaking and

While shipping costs could reside in potential future business. “We’ll act as transformed from what Dilling calls “the any one of those sums, partners clearly project managers,” con? rms global man- doom and gloom of (11) months ago” to “a brighter future”. Growing its design see the payback: the project will hike aging director for oil and gas, Dan Nis-

Vard team by 30 percent this summer has TCO’s oil production to 1 MM boe/d, or sen, in an email. “Our role is to deliver a

Holger Dilling helped. “We’ve been able to reposition about half of Norway’s total production. full logistics solutions to TCO.” the company rather quickly,” Dilling First oil is planned for 2022, but Topaz Topaz con? rms the MCV’s could cre-

Executive Vice President, says, adding that of the 44 vessels Vard client Chevron is also developing the ate a whole new business for the com- nearby Korolev and Karachaganak ? elds pany in river transport. is building, 40 are VARD designs. In all,

Vard Holdings the shipbuilder has sold 175 designs, 30 and controls the Caspian Pipeline Con- “It’s our conviction that the MCVs will sortium with its 935-mile crude oil ex- be competitive assets in any river sys- outside the Group.

Vard’s VP of conceptual design, Kjell port line from Tengiz to tanker-loading at tem,” a spokesman tells us. “Topaz sees

Novorossisk. Conceivably, these MCVs great potential in these vessels replacing

Morten Urke, con? rms Canadian, Croa- might have future pipes to freight. the traditional tug and barge solution for tians and French naval architects and de- river transportation. sign engineers have been brought in in

Blue Water

The MCVs will be a higher quality op- response to the increased demand and to

Topaz says its 15-vessel contract win tion that is cost effective, fuel ef? cient maintain a real popularity lead the Vard group seems to be enjoying. Unusually, with Blue Water will earn $500 mil- and much safer.” perhaps, Urke and his colleagues don’t group themselves for work by individual order or vessel type but are smartly di- vided as specialists working on compa- ny-wide projects: electrical, conceptual, hydrological rather than OSV, Cruise, naval and MCV. “(In that way), we’re more turnkey than ever and more one- stop shop for our customers.”

STOCK (Purchase and Rental): “In Europe, technological leadership is s