Three DOF vessels going to work for Petrobras

Norwegian vessel owner DOF Group has secured multiple new contract awards that will see another three of its vessels working for Brazilian oil and gas giant Petrobras.

Anchor handling tug and supply (AHTS) vessels Skandi Jupiter and Skandi Mercury, under management contracts with DOF, have been contracted by Petrobras to operate as AHTS 230t BP after the same competitive tender process earlier this year that led to the contract of Skandi Amazonas, Skandi Rio and Skandi Botafogo.

Both vessels are currently operating in the North Sea region and are expected to be mobilized to Brazil after modifications to comply with Petrobras requirements. The contracts are scheduled to start by the second or third quarter of 2025 but can be adjusted by mutual agreement, and have three-year durations plus options.

Furthermore, Brazil-built and flagged multi-purpose supply vessel (MPSV) Skandi Salvador, equipped with 140t AHC crane and two work-class remotely operated vehicles (WROVs), was chartered by a 1st Tier EPCI-SURF contractor to support its operations at Petrobras’ pre-salt fields developments. The contract begins immediately and has been signed for a 180-day firm period plus options.

The vessel is currently operating for Petrobras at Libra as a MPSV with redelivery scheduled for the beginning of August. Geoholm has started the contract as a front-runner until Skandi Salvador is released from its current commitments.

In parallel with the charter contract, the contractor also awarded a survey services contract on board of both vessels to DOF Subsea Brazil.

Mons S. Aase, CEO of DOF Group, said: “We are pleased to announce several new contracts in our region Brazil. With Skandi Jupiter and Skandi Mercury we are expanding our fleet and further increasing our footprint in the AHTS segment in the region. With Salvador and Survey Services Contracts we are expanding our client base and reinforcing our position on Survey Services in Brazil.”

DOF and Petrobras signed three new service contracts worth more than $260 million in September 2023 under which DOF is in charge of providing survey and inspection work to Petrobras. In April two contracts were awarded for Skandi Amazonas and Skandi Rio.

The Norwegian company added more work for Petrobras in June after having won a contract for the pipelay support vessel (PLSV) Skandi Vitória and two contracts for PLSV Skandi Niterói and AHTS Skandi Botafogo.

DOF recently also entered into an agreement to acquire Maersk Supply Service (MSS) which will see its fleet expand with an additional 22 vessels.