Offshore support vessel operator Sentinel Marine has taken delivery of a new emergency response and rescue vessel (ERRV).
Sentinel said on Friday that the Bailey Sentinel EERV was en route from the Cosco shipyard in China to Aberdeen and was due to arrive in early September.
According to VesselsValue, the vessel is currently located in the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea, offshore Yemen.
When the vessel goes into service, the company will create 24 new offshore jobs bringing the total workforce at Sentinel to 230 people.
The Bailey Sentinel will operate rescue and recovery services for a major, undisclosed North Sea oil field operator following sea trials. The vessel is the eighth newbuild to join the expanding Sentinel Marine fleet since 2015. The company added that one more vessel was set to be delivered in the first quarter of 2019.
The vessel is 62 meters long, 15.5 wide, and can accommodate a total of 26 people. It is also fitted with a treatment room with a hypothermia bathroom, a 26-bed recovery area, a 75-seat recovery area, and designated sanitary areas.
Youngest ERRV fleet
According to Sentinel, it has the youngest fleet operating in the emergency response and rescue sector and that the aging ERRVs in the North Sea fleet are often converted to fishing boats or supply vessels.
Rory Deans , chief executive of Sentinel, said: “It is reckoned that over 30% of ERRVs currently operating in the North Sea are at least 30 years old. At Sentinel Marine, we are committed to providing state of the art multi-role vessels which can provide a wide range of services including oil recovery, rescue towing and dynamic positioning.”
Sentinel added that one of its newest recruits, Frazer Smart , was recently named deckhand of the year by the Scottish Maritime Academy, North East Scotland College’s nautical center.
“By having the newest fleet in the sector, we aim to keep attracting young talent like Frazer who has just returned from his first trip to sea with us on the Mariner Sentinel which is operating within the Statoil’s Mariner oilfield to the east of Shetland,” added Deans.