Page 42: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Sep/Oct 2024)

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FEATURE NORTHERN OFFSHORE SERVICES rive at the worksite seasick, battered by rough seas, can- not provide professional service, assuming they are in any condition to work at all. N-O-S is mindful that these per- sonnel are their most important cargo. The modern CTV boasts maximum comfort for wind technicians in transit.

On the CTV IMPRESSER, they arrive offshore ready to work, free from motion sickness. In an industry where it is a struggle to ?nd and keep quali?ed technicians for chal- lenging work environments, this operational philosophy is an attractive value-added plus for offshore energy ?rms.

The ongoing modernization of N-O-S tonnage takes many forms. Take their proprietary, in-house designed “high grip fender,” for example. Vexed continually by the short life span of traditional, low-tech bow fendering equipment, N-O-S set out to develop their own ?ve-piece system, which involves different materials for each seg- ment, all of which can be replaced or serviced individually.

The innovative ?x allows CTVs to push at wind towers using less fuel and energy. Combining an omnidirectional propulsion system and the High Grip Fender, N-O-S op- erators leverage the versatile I-Class CTV to make longer, safer journeys and safely of?oad and onboard technicians

Credit: Volvo Penta in any sea condition.

Johan Inden,

Balancing Act: Operational Integrity

President of Volvo Penta Marine & Financial Realities

It is no accident that N-O-S executives David Kristens- can convert it later when the commercial sense or the right son and Martin Landstrom are both professional mariners project might demand it. Then, you don’t need to build and bring career experience from the tanker side of the a new vessel, you can upgrade the existing platform. Of equation. Kristensson told OE, “We look at things from an course, there are bene?ts to having a green platform today, operational point of view. This is important to us because we have been mariners ourselves. Perhaps if you are from as compared to conventional vessels.” the capital side, your focus is more economics. We look at things more from the operational side, and this is one of

Comfort & Safety, too the bene?ts of our experience, as we gain our success.”

As industry moves towards having permanent offshore

Veterans of the well-established and sometimes tedious crews on board, and moving away from dayshift work and redundant oil major SIRE (OCIMF) inspection pro- for larger ?elds, bigger and more capable vessels will be tocols, Kristensson and Landstrom understand the de- required. Today, there are 7,000 turbines on the water, mands that these requirements imposed on the tanker sec- but matching vessel size to the size of turbines is a big tor. And, for good reason. A similar inspection scheme has challenge, especially as wind moves further offshore. evolved in the CTV sector. N-O-S executives, mindful of

Newer, bigger turbines demanding bigger, more robust their roots, have embraced the concept and are determined boats that can perform in harsher conditions, for longer to not only be in compliance, but to lead from the outset.

periods of time. Summer work may not be a luxury any

Kristensson explains, “We didn’t bring safety inspections longer. It is no accident that N-O-S ?nds itself at the to wind, but we brought experience with how it works. leading edge of this transition.

Offshore engineers – typically non-mariners – need to We used that knowledge in our company when the wind industry started to increase the quality inspections. The get offshore safely and in real comfort. Workers who ar- 42 OFFSHORE ENGINEER OEDIGITAL.COM