40 years’ PSV experience

The acquisition of an anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS) in 1978 started the unbroken chain of more than 40 years of platform supply vessel (PSV) services to the offshore market.

The AHTS was the typical multi-use workhorse in the early days of the Norwegian oil adventure. But soon the PSVs became more specialized, and Eidesvik engaged  in modifying the standard design PSVs into the Eidesvik improved brand – starting with some minor modifications to a PSV delivered in 1980, moving on to the highly specialized PSV designs developed in cooperation with first class naval architects over the years.

A key to our long-lasting history of new and improved PSVs, both in terms of hull design, accommodation, and even more importantly the machinery and propulsion systems, has been the company’s open-minded cooperation with our charterers, equipment and machinery manufacturer, naval architects, ship-yards, and in-house expertise. Without such collaboration, the evolution of our PSVs would have been impossible.

Eidesvik has a long and fruitful cooperation with our charterers.  We appreciate demanding clients with unconditionally requests for high quality operations and high expectations in general, because they have pushed us forward to become today’s powerhouse for future oriented shipping and operational solutions.

In 1996 Eidesvik took delivery of the world’s largest PSV at that time. She was purpose-built to carry pipes for the major pipelaying projects in the North Sea and optimized to carry five length of pipes and to exactly fit the shore-side pipe-loading docks.

A huge step of invention came to reality in 2003 when the first LNG multifuel-powered PSV was launched.  Equinor (f.k.a. Statoil) was indeed a future oriented charterer when requesting a LNG-fuelled vessel for their next charter party.  Eidesvik took lead, and the vessel MV Viking Energy was designed. The power solutions were developed, tested, and approved.  She was accepted and taken on hire by Equinor, and she is still on chart to Equinor.

In a unique cooperation with Equinor, and a large number of other high tech companies and institutions, Viking Energy has been selected for a project sponsored by EU to become the first PSV to be equipped with fuel cells powered by Nitrogen (NH3).

Today, Eidesvik possibly has the largest fleet of environmentally friendly PSVs. The combination of LNG-powered engines and battery-hybrid systems onboard give a considerable reduction in the environmental footprint, and with the Apollo project where an ammonia combustion engine will be installed in Viking Energy, we will be in the forefront towards an emission-free PSV operation.

The North Sea has been the home market for Eidesvik’s PSV fleet, but following our first international PSV-appearance with Viking Lady as a pipe-carrier in South Africa in 1999, Eidesvik has also gained valuable experience in PSV-operations in West Africa and Brazil over several years.

Over more than 40 years it has been our privilege to be a part of an astounding degree of development in PSV design and equipment, but we still deliver the same basic services like transport of deck cargo, pipes, bulk and special products.  We are there for emergency services as a fire fighter, stand-by and rescue services, and we provide oil recovery services.  Many things have changed over 40 years, but we are here with our PSVs. Still being the workhorses of the industry – just a bit more powerful, flexible, and experienced.