Wagenborg and Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms are the latest owners seeking to repurpose oil and gas offshore support vessels.
Dutch owner Wagenborg has bought one of the platform supply vessels that was taken over by banks during the collapse of Scorpio Group-backed Hermitage Offshore in 2020.
The 4,200-dwt Hermit Viking (built 2015) is the third of the 10-strong fleet since sold by lenders DNB and SEB through their Pearl Bidco ownership vehicle.
The Ulstein PX121 ship will be converted into a walk-to-work response and rescue vessel at Royal Niestern Sander Shipyard in the Netherlands.
VesselsValue assesses the PSV as worth $12.5m now, but it was picked up by Pearl Bidco for $8.9m.
Conversion coming soon
Wagenborg said it had signed an agreement with a charterer to operate the ship in support of platforms in the southern North Sea.
The unit will be the fourth walk-to-work vessel in the fleet.
Conversion work will take less than 20 weeks, the owner added.
The Hermit Viking will be equipped with an additional accommodation module for 40 people, as well as a motion-compensated gangway.
The ship will be renamed early in the second quarter of 2022.
Danish shipowner Esvagt added two other former Hermitage Offshore vessels to its fleet this year, converting them into greener hybrids for emergency work.
Meanwhile, the 1,400-dwt emergency rescue and response vessel Ocean Spey (built 2000) has been sold by Irish owner Mainport Holdings to Spanish charity Open Arms.
Mission complete
The ship had completed its commitments off Ireland, Norwegian shipbroker Seabrokers said.
The unit had been supporting operations at the Kinsale Gas platforms for Kinsale Energy over the past five years.
"However, with the gas platforms now decommissioned, it marks the end of the road for the Ocean Spey with Mainport," Seabrokers added.
Open Arms seeks to rescue migrants trying to reach Europe by boat.
The new flagship has been renamed Open Arms Uno and mobilised to Castellon in eastern Spain.
"Since a long time ago, the harshness of searching and rescue missions in the central Mediterranean shows the need of adding to the fleet a new and bigger ship," the charity said.
"In the face of this need, Enrique Pineyro, an Argentine philanthropist who has collaborated with Open Arms through his NGO named Solidaire ... has joined our mission through the grant of the new ship Open Arms Uno," Open Arms added.
