Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[Brian60]

You do have to ask in todays world of financial restraints, does the oil industry need ships as big as this? Only this week on a norwegian forum (google translate is great ) they had a list of the latest layup's of supply and anchor handlers because of a lack of work.

The poor Fortress next to it is dwarfed in comparison.

[warspite]

probably handles better in high seas compared to fortress, I suppose it is supply and demand, as older ships become obsolete and inefficient, replacing them with larger more efficient vessels is more cost effective than just replacing it with a vessel that although may be cost effective in a like for like size, a larger vessel may be better for operating in conditions the smaller vessel would not be capable of.

[Netleyned]

You're probably right Warspite.
The bean counters would not let them build ships that are not cost effective.
If the bigger ship can work say 50 days a year more in more extreme weather.
It will probably pay for the extra investment.

Ned

[NFMike]

More likely it can do work that would need two of the 'Fortress' size boats, but using probably the same size crew as just one of them.
I'd hazard that as oil rigs are having to search in more remote places they are getting bigger and need more AHTS capacity, so bigger is obviously better there as well.

[Brian60]

I'd add that they may be better in bad seas regarding seaworthyness, but they ultimately rely on deck crew to do the connecting/disconnecting work of the chains on deck etc. If the seas are going to be that bad the crew couldn't work outside, then it is false economy. As to the bollard pull this is no better than some smaller ships have now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PFfQ2VRNP4

Would you want to be out on deck when the sea is like this, never mind any worse just because the ship is bigger!