Clearing the seismic deck of equipment

Text and photo: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

Bolts are turned, metal is cut and heavy lifts are carried out in Lundevågen. Two former seismic vessels, which once hunted for oil beneath the seabed, have been laid up for a long time. But now, activity on deck is in full swing.

Farmar Services has been tasked with dismantling part of the seismic equipment and readying the vessels for handover to their new owner.

"WE ARE REMOVING equipment that was not sold with the vessels and preparing them for delivery to the buyer,” says workshop manager Ronny Christoffersen, as the sound of angle grinders and lifting chains fills the air.

Ten workers from Farmar Services are busy stripping cables, modules and technical equipment.

A forklift, hoisted on board with the help of a mobile crane from Lister Kranservice, is being used to transport parts across the deck before they are loaded onto the workboat Farmar Aton and shipped back to the Farmar base.

THE JOB WILL continue throughout the week, and everything must be completed before the vessels are towed south to Turkey. There, they will undergo an extensive conversion into so-called generator ships – specialised vessels that function as floating power plants.

Instead of seismic gear, the ships will be fitted with gas turbines, cables and control systems capable of delivering electricity directly to shore – in some cases supplying an entire nation. For example, the whole of Gambia’s power supply comes from a ship of this type.

In other words: where they once mapped the Earth’s crust, they will now deliver energy. The ships will not only receive new equipment – they will gain an entirely new purpose.