Equinox Offshore Accommodation enters into five year contract in Brazil

Contracts, Tenders and Rates - January 6, 2012

Equinox Offshore Accommodation Limited has entered into a contract with Petrobras for the provision of an accommodation and repair vessel to support works in Brazil for a five year firm and up to a five year additional optional period. The vessel is to be delivered by December of 2012.

The company will convert a new unit to fulfill the contract and the vessel will be named ARV3.

The vessel conversion candidate and all long lead items have been sourced and the company will convert the vessel at Sembawang Shipyard, a subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine Ltd.

Engineering and project planning by the company and yard and all major equipment suppliers is advanced.

The completed ARV3 will be a diesel-electric DP2 high specification vessel accommodating up to 450 charterer’s personnel. The vessel will be provided with eight generator sets with a total power of 31MW driving 3 x 3.5MW Azipod propellers aft, 3 x 1.65MW retractable azimuthing thrusters and 2 x 1.3MW tunnel thrusters forward.

The vessel will also be provided with a Marine Aluminium offshore gangway, a 50 tonne knuckleboom crane, a D22/12.8t helideck as well as extensive project management, workshop and storage facilities.

Equinox Offshore said the conversion candidate "is a modern vessel and all equipment to be installed as part of the conversion is new equipment from the world’s leading suppliers."

The company's chairman Johan Fredrik Odfjell said: "The award of the Petrobras contract is a major milestone for the company. Project execution is well underway and a secured bridging loan makes it possible for the company to make all necessary commitments immediately. The ARV3 represents a high quality offshore accommodation facility at a comparatively low investment cost.”