Britoil Offshore Services has signed a multi-year agreement with Seas Geosciences to charter and convert a platform supply vessel into a geotechnical drilling ship.
The converted 3,500-dwt BOS Princess (built 2016) will be available to the market from January 2025, the companies said.
Paolo Casciotti, president of Singapore-based Seas Geosciences, said the converted vessel is being designed to serve the offshore wind industry.
It will be fitted with Seas Geosciences’ fully automated topside geotechnical rig, innovative seabed cone penetration testing system and an array of geotechnical tools.
Seas Geosciences plans to deploy the vessel globally, serving projects from the Mediterranean to the North Sea to the Gulf of Mexico.
“This agreement is part of our commitment to investing in green energy and scaling up our operations,” Casciotti said. “We are creating an asset that is 100% customised for the typical requirements of offshore wind developments.”
Andrea Cavo, head of Europe, Mediterranean & the Americas at Britoil, said: “Our shared commitment to clean energy makes partnering with Seas Geosciences a natural choice.
“We’re excited to be working with an innovative company that has been investing in cutting-edge technology to support offshore wind power projects.”
Britoil bought two 2,900-dwt PSV resales under construction at South China Shipyard early this year and acquired 30 of Dutch shipowner Vroon’s PSVs and offshore support vessels last September.
Britoil, launched in 1988, specialises in small to midsize anchor-handling tugs and PSVs. Its core business is offshore production support for engineering, procurement and construction clients.
