Eni Norge has informed that Stril Barents, a supply and standby vessel, is ready to start operations at the Goliat field in the Barents Sea.
Eni says that the vessel will strengthen oil spill and search and rescue contingency operations at the field location.
According to the company, Goliat will enter into production this summer as the first oil field to come on stream in the Barents Sea.
Eni Norge and Norwegian authorities have stipulated strict oil spill contingency requirements for Goliat.
Double function
Stril Barents is designed and built to operate both as a supply and stand-by vessel at the Goliat location. Under normal circumstances the vessel will operate mainly as a supply vessel. It will also be able to replace Goliat’s current standby vessel, Esvagt Aurora, and will provide the first response both in case of emergency life-saving intervention and oil spill situations.
Tailored to Arctic operations
Eni says that the vessel is specially adapted to the challenges presented by harsh Arctic weather conditions. It is equipped with heating cables to prevent icing, and most of its auxiliary equipment, including the lifeboats and life rafts, is built into the vessel in order to protect it from the Arctic elements. Separate hangars for oil spill contingency equipment, such as that used for the chemical dispersal of oils at the sea surface, have also been installed. This equipment is deployed from openings in the bow, and can be controlled remotely from the bridge. Mechanical oil spill contingency equipment can be deployed rapidly from its storage location in a hanger located in the vessel’s stern.
Stril Barents is equipped with remote measurement equipment which enables it to identify and track oil on the sea surface, even in poor daylight conditions, adds Eni.
Built in Norway
Stril Barents is owned and will be operated by the Stavanger-based shipping company Simon Møkster Shipping. It was built at the Vard Aukra yard outside Molde. The vessel is under contract to Eni Norge for the next ten years, with options for contract extension.
Stril Barents will be named in Stavanger today, February 5, by Gerd Kristiansen, President of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO).