Nortrans stays on Chevron subsea duty

Singapore-based offshore service operator Nortrans Offshore has secured a five-year charter contract extension with the U.S. energy major Chevron for the subsea vessel Nor Naomi.

Under the contract with Chevron, the DP2 subsea service vessel has been supporting the Tamar and Leviathan gas field operation in Israel since May 2017.

Now, with the new charter extension, Nor Naomi will resume its operations in the East Mediterranean Sea until June 2027.

Nor Naomi was built in 2017 and is specially customised and equipped to perform inspection, maintenance, repair and remotely operated vehicle (IMR/ROV) work. The vessel features a 100-ton active heave compensated offshore knuckle-boom crane and built-in swell compensation systems to 3,000 metres of water depth.

Initially, it was hired by Noble Energy to perform ROV operations as well as subsea environmental and field development surveys in Tamar and Leviathan gas fields.

However, Chevron took over the gas fields following its acquisition of Noble Energy back in October 2020.

The company holds and operates a 39.66% interest in the Leviathan gas field located some 130 kilometres offshore Haifa. Covering approximately 49,000 net acres (198 square kilometres) Leviathan is said to be Israel’s largest energy project.

The field delivered its first gas in 2019 and in 2020 production ramped up, averaging 242 million net cubic feet of natural gas per day.

In the Tamar gas field just east of Leviathan, Chevron holds and operates 25% interest. In 2020, net daily production from the Tamar field averaged 173 million cubic feet of natural gas per day.

According to the company, the two fields together supply around 70% of Israel’s electricity, enabling a transition from coal to gas which in turn is lowering carbon emissions and improving air quality.