Siem Offshore scoops new extension off Canada

Norwegian shipping company Siem Offshore has secured a contract extension for one of its anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels, enabling it to continue carrying out operations offshore Canada.

Siem Offshore reported on Monday that it was awarded a contract extension in Canada for the multi-role AHTS Avalon Sea. The latest extension covers a firm duration of another six months upon completion of the current contract, ensuring continued operations for the vessel well into Q4 2022.

Delivered in 2016 by Remontowa Shipyard, the AHTS Avalon Sea has been supporting ExxonMobil’s Hebron platform, located offshore Newfoundland, Canada, since its delivery.

Since the Hebron platform started production in November 2017, there have been several safety incidents on the platform with the latest one occurring in August 2021. At this time, a worker on the Avalon Sea support vessel was injured while supporting activities associated with lifeboat winch load testing on this platform.

Located about 350 kilometres offshore Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital St John’s, in the Jeanne d’Arc Basin, the Hebron platform lies in water depths of about 300 92 metres while the site encompasses the Hebron, West Ben Nevis, and Ben Nevis fields.

With a storage capacity of 1.2 million barrels of oil, the Hebron platform consists of a stand-alone gravity-based structure, which supports an integrated topsides deck that includes living quarters and drilling and production facilities.

When it comes to Siem Offshore’s recent deals, it is worth reminding that the shipping company inked long-term contracts for two PSVs at the end of December 2021 for operations offshore Australia.

Based on the firm’s statement at the time, both contracts were expected to start during the first quarter of 2022.