Still a hot offshore market

Text: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

Haven is a jack-up rig. When it is out in the field, the 130 metre long legs are jacked down so that the rig remains on the seabed.

It has 447 beds, various living areas, a cinema and a gym, and is often described as the world's greenest residential rig.

- FARMAR ARION is constantly being engaged on new rig moves. "Before the assignment in Ølen, the boat was on a job in the Dutch sector," says Farmar manager John W. Nilsen.

One of the advantages of the Farmar Arion, which means that the tug is often preferred for such assignments, is the possibility of having extra personnel on board.

Most competing boats only have beds for their own crew. Farmar Arion has several extra cabins, where client personnel and extra project personnel from our own staff can stay.

2023 was a record year for rig moves in Farmar. The fleet was involved in moving a total of 24 rigs. The tug with the most jobs of this type was Farmar Arion.

- "There has been good activity this year too, but it remains to be seen whether we can beat last year," says Nilsen.

THE COMPARISON With many other shipping companies, Farmar is still small in this type of operation. According to Operations Manager Leif Steinar Simonsen, it is not a goal in itself to fill up the calendar with only rig moves.

- Each rigmove usually takes between two and five days. Although the rates can be good, the assignments are not necessarily very lucrative. "Between each job, there are often several days of unpaid downtime. Therefore, the total income is not always as good as on a long tow," says Simonsen.

THE RIGS ARE MOVED regularly between the fields. Three boats - one anchor-handling vessel and two tugs - are often requisitioned to do the job.

After Farmar Arion, Farmar Athos is the tugboat in the fleet that is most frequently engaged in rig moves.