Dive support vessel sold by Marcon

Vessel & ROV News - March 2, 2011

Marcon, the well-known firm of brokers in the US, has announced that it has sold the DSV Ocean Project from Oceaneering International to private South American interests.

The Vanuatu-flagged Ocean Project (ex-Rambo, 0601, George E Darby, Janie B, Cathy B, Nordic Offshore) was built in 1972 by Bel-Aire Shipyard Ltd of North Vancouver, British Columba, Canada as an offshore supply vessel and classed ABS +A1, Ice Class A, Towing Service, +AMS, Unrestricted.

Ocean Project is powered by a pair Ruston 12RK3CM diesels totaling 5,300 bhp with Seffle CP wheels in kort nozzles and fitted with a 400hp Ulstein tunnel bow thruster.

The 185ft x 45ft x 16ft vessel was originally built as an offshore supply vessel, but converted in 1986 by Transport Canada into a Search & Rescue Vessel and to tow
small icebergs out of shipping lanes.

The Canadian government sold her into commercial use in 1993 when she was renamed Rambo under Panamanian flag.

Oceaneering purchased the vessel in 1997 and fitted her with a four-point mooring system and a sophisticated diving gear complete with two decompression chambers.

Ocean Project then worked as an offshore maintenance/repair vessel conducting platform inspections, pipeline construction, hyperbaric welding and salvage. She was used in 1999 to successfully retrieve the 2 ton Mercury space capsule Liberty Bell 7
from 16,040ft of water.

The new owners are having the vessel promptly delivered on her own bottom to Peru, where she will be put into dry-dock and refurbished before re-entering oilfield service work.