In commercial shipping, supply vessels are vessels used to support offshore structures. They ensure that drilling rigs are secured and supplied with material, and are also used to transport them to new locations. They are equipped with heavy-duty equipment that can withstand the harsh weather conditions that often prevail in offshore drilling areas. They often have multiple bow thrusters.
Types of providers
The US Code defines an offshore supply vessel as follows:
"Offshore supply vessel" means a motorized vessel that regularly transports goods, supplies, persons in addition to crew, or equipment in support of the exploration, development or production of offshore mineral or energy resources.
"Offshore supplier" means a vessel that regularly transports goods, materials, personnel in addition to crew, or equipment in support of the exploration, development or production of offshore mineral or energy resources."
Various types of ships are used for these tasks, including:
- Platform Supply Vessels (PSV)
- Clean material conveyors that deliver necessary materials and equipment to drilling rigs
- Anchor Handling Tugs (AHT)
- Anchor tugs used for towing offshore drilling rigs
- Anchor Handling Tugs Supply (AHTS)
- combined anchor handling tugs/material transporters
- Standby Vessels
- Safety ships that guard the waters around oil rigs and are used to rescue people.
- Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel (ERRV)
- Vessels such as the Multi Role ERRV are also used for rescue operations.
There are other special ships, for example. For example, mother ships for divers or pipeline layers.
In the 1970s and 1980s, German shipping companies (including VTG AG, DDG Hansa, Unterweser Reederei and T&S) were active in the supply business. Nowadays, various shipping companies are active in this business area. The Hamburg company Harms Bergung operated a fleet of several AHTs. Harms' two strongest ships, the Uran and the Orkus, were among the most powerful AHTs in the world with a bollard pull of 280 tonnes. ER Offshore, a company of the ER Schiffahrt Group, operated a fleet of 11 PSVs. The company started operations in 2007 with three used PSVs ER Kristiansand, ER Arendal and ER Bergen, which had previously been used for the restoration of Harm under the names Centaurus, Aelous and Cerberus.
