Escorting oil tankers at Mongstad

Text: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

- "Of course it's great to win a contract like this. It shows that the work we've put in over the past few years in terms of certifications and qualifications the shipping company has undergone is bearing fruit. It also shows that we are a player to be reckoned with," says John W. Nilsen.

The main requirement for the boat is that it has a class notation as an escort rope boat. Farmar has two boats with this notation, Farmar Athos and Farmar Arion.

The Mongstad job lasts throughout January. And it's full steam ahead every day, if we are to believe Nilsen.

"IT IS NOT Being a crew member on Farmar Athos is no lazy life. Especially not this month. Everyone on board has to be on duty around the clock," says the Farmar manager. 

Farmar Athos is considered one of Norway's greenest tugs. It runs on diesel-electric engine power to and from its towing assignments, but the biggest saving is in the propulsion system (so-called "in-line" or "transverse").

The propellers are mounted one after the other in the direction of travel, which reduces the drag effect by half compared to traditional systems. This saves the environment from emissions and customers from costs.

The vessel was built in 2014 and joined the company's fleet at the end of 2019. Farmar Athos is used for towing assignments, moving rigs, harbour jacking, long jacking, assistance and salvage.

IT'S THE FIRST once a tugboat from Farsund is hired for an escort job at Mongstad, the largest oil refinery in Norway and one of the most advanced in Europe.

The reason for this is that one of the permanent tugs is in for classification. Equinor therefore needed a "substitute".

- "It's absolutely brilliant. Of course, we try to do the job so well that we're asked again," says Nilsen.

Mongstad is Norway's largest port in terms of tonnage and Europe's second largest oil port. According to a report from NHO Logistikk og Transport, the terminal handles around 500 ships per year.