Doha Marine Services believes it has a solution to the squeeze on rates in the offshore support vessel market.
The company, part of DP World-controlled shipowner P&O Maritime Logistics, wants oil and gas clients to pay only for the vessel capacity they need.
The "pay as you go" model offers customers the chance to book space on ships that operate on fixed rotations in the Middle East Gulf, rather like a liner service.
This tears up the traditional model of oil companies chartering ships for spot runs to rigs.
The "Supply on Demand" service, launched last month, has had a successful start, according to the company.
New services being worked on
The vessels run twice weekly, with sailings on Monday and Thursday.
The model avoids the need for "restrictive contracts" for charterers.
The service, which Doha Marine called unique in the Middle East, has begun with two DP2 platform supply vessels.
"We are working to increase the number and type of vessels included in the new offering, meeting demand as our customers’ needs require," the company told TradeWinds.
The next phases will potentially involve other vessel types and services, but this is yet to be confirmed.
The vessels currently serve energy-sector customers operating in Qatar’s North and East fields and covering any offshore location in Qatar waters.
Doha Marine said discussions on the service are taking place with Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas, North Oil Co, Saipem and QCON (Qatar Engineering & Construction Co).
Customers use a dashboard to create bookings, track cargo and monitor or adapt routes to reduce costs. Crucially, they are charged only for the cargo they transport.
Filling a gap
Gerben Nijboer, Doha Marine's general manager, said the change fills a gap in the market.
"The model optimises efficiency through better utilisation of vessel space, improved route planning and reduced fuel consumption, all in real time," he said.
Nijboer believes such transformative technology is a crucial way for the offshore sector to adapt to the realities of the changing environment.
"Digitalisation and consolidation of services must be adopted by the OSV industry at large to weather economic volatilities, create efficiencies and provide value and oversight to our customers," he said.
Access to huge fleet
Doha Marine told TradeWinds it has access to its parent's fleet of 400 ships, including PSVs, anchor-handling tugs, crew boats and subsea vessels.
"Low customer costs can be driven by better utilisation of cargo space and by sharing this space. Then, customers only pay for the space they use," it said.
"Clients sign a comprehensive contract with pre-agreed rates for absolute clarity. No shipment means no charges."
Doha Marine said it came up with the idea out of necessity: "Offshore marine services are becoming more complex in nature, with clients needing world-first, custom or out-of-gauge logistics services more frequently."
The company added that it is pioneering a transition from a vessel owner to a provider of a portfolio of offshore services by "delivering more services on the same asset base".
Doha Marine was previously owned by Topaz Energy & Marine, which merged with P&O Maritime in 2019 to form P&O Maritime Logistics.
