Subsea specialist Sulmara has made its biggest commitment yet to the renewable energy industry after signing a three-year deal with Atlantic Offshore to charter the 67m DPII multi-purpose support vessel Ocean Marlin.
Sulmara is undertaking a substantial refit of the vessel, including the installation of class-leading survey equipment, a subsea crane with active heave compensation, and the creation of extra bed space.
CEO Kevin McBarron said the decision to go down the unconventional yet pragmatic route of repurposing an emergency response rescue vessel (ERRV) aligns with Sulmara’s ambitions to deliver work for clients that has as little an impact on the environment as possible.
He said: “This deal is a step change for Sulmara as we continue to challenge conventions and find new ways of working to increase our capabilities and further support our clients in their projects and achieving their Net Zero targets.
“Sulmara has proven the capabilities of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) for certain offshore survey tasks and our vision is for their use to be widespread in the industry, but we recognize the current limitations of the technology.
“USVs are not the answer to all of our clients’ needs and there is still a place for conventional ships. In partnering with Atlantic Offshore, we can bring a vessel that is as fuel efficient and environmentally friendly as possible to the market. We had opportunities to charter older, less efficient vessels, but for our first long-term charter vessel, that does not align with our company vision, and we wanted to make the right choice.
“We’ll be tracking the efficiency of the vessel throughout 2024, comparing emissions and fuel burn to existing and older assets in an effort to highlight the sustainability benefits of our solutions to both our clients and the wider industry.”
Built in 2014, the Ocean Marlin is 2298GT, with ample deck space for a range of mobilized equipment and accommodation for 28 Sulmara and client personnel. She is likely to commence activities for Sulmara in late Q1 2024 and will initially operate on projects across Europe.