Work Boats for Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration

On May 23, 2019, Royal Dutch Shell announced that it had started producing oil and gas at its Appomattox platform in the Gulf of Mexico, months ahead of schedule. The company also noted that this well is “just the beginning” of activity in the area. Following this news, an expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration activities is not unexpected. Keeping that in mind, we took a look at the barges, tugboats, and offshore supply vessels that will help assemble and dismantle new drilling rigs in the near future.

Barges and tugboats are most commonly used for marine construction or transportation purposes like general dredging, bridge building, or heavy equipment or material storage and transportation. However, they’re also quite commonly used to provide support for the offshore oil and gas industry by providing accommodations, hosting crane equipment, pipelaying, and more.

On the other hand, offshore supply vessels (OSVs) are ships that operate as support for offshore oil and gas platforms or rigs, transporting crew members, supplies, equipment, and more, to and from a site.

Continue reading to learn about the different types of vessels that are used today for offshore oil and gas exploration and rig construction.

Barges

Accommodation Work Barge

Accommodations barges provide housing to employees working offshore. They’re typically used during commissioning and decommissioning, but can be fitted with equipment for pipelaying, construction equipment, helicopter pads, and more. Typically, these barges can house anywhere from 75-400+ people at a time, though there are vessels available with housing for 800+ workers.

Crane-Mounted Barge

Crane-mounted barges are used in offshore construction, such as bridge work, and in oil and gas, often assisting in installation, assembly, and disassembly operations on platforms and MODUs. These crane lift barges are also used in salvage and wreck clean-up operations.

Deck Barge

Deck barges transport the supplies and materials needed to piece together the drilling rig and derrick. Deck barges are ideal for oversized, oddly-shaped, or other heavy equipment and material. They can also serve as a work area due to their large sizes.

Dredger

Dredgers are used to clear sediment and create trenches for pipeline laying purposes. However, dredging activities also may include laying pipeline protection in the form of clay or rock, oil spill recovery and cleanup, and creating or widening canals and harbors to create room for other vessels to maneuver.

Spud Barge

Spud barges are often used for pipe laying and repair, though other applications include pile driving, heavy lifting, or support for heavy machinery. These barges are anchored by lowering their spuds into the seabed to prevent shifting or swaying, which provides a safe working and construction space.

Tugboats

In a previous blog, we discussed the differences between push and tug boats. In the context of oil and gas exploration operations, ocean tugboats are often used to assist disabled ships other vessels that are not self-propelled like barges and oil platforms, while inland tugboats are used to maneuver tankers and ships in harbors or other narrow waterways.

Vessels

Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessel (AHTS)

Anchor handling tug supply vessels are designed to anchor, tow, and support offshore oil rigs. These vessels can also act as supply vessels to an offshore rig and are capable of operating under extreme conditions. Their durability also allows these vessels to act as rescue ships in emergency situations.

AHTS vessels performs the role of anchor for other vessels, including drill ships or barges. The AHTS is connected to other vessels using strong cables and its own anchor is dropped. The other vessels are anchored by extension.

Pipe Laying Vessel

Pipe laying vessels consist of a crane, pump, valves, and pipe laying equipment. These vessels have welding stations on the ship to weld strings of pipe together, or to help fix misshapen pipe. The pipelines run from the pay zone to refineries on shore.

Platform Supply Vessel (PSV)

Platform supply vessels (PSVs) provide support and supplies to offshore platforms, including transporting general supplies, equipment, personnel, and more to and from other vessels or offshore drilling rigs. Supplies often include fuel tanks, drilling fluids/drilling mud, drill pipe, and other cargo necessary for the drilling process.

PSVs utilize above- and below-deck storage areas. Vessels with larger decks are used for commissioning and decommissioning purposes, where larger cargo deliveries are required more frequently.

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