Norwegian vessel owner DOF Group has secured a new long-term contract for one of its anchor handling tug and supply (AHTS) vessels with a compatriot energy giant, Equinor.
DOF reported a new three-year firm contract award for the AHTS Skandi Vega with the current charterer Equinor on Tuesday, 11 April 2023. This deal includes 2 x 1-year extension options and will start in direct continuation of the vessel’s current contract.
Mons S. Aase , DOF Group CEO, remarked: “DOF is very pleased to further strengthen the relation with Equinor and secure firm and financially sustainable backlog.”
The 2010-built AHTS Skandi Vega can accommodate 88 people. Designed for deepwater anchor handling during demanding environmental conditions, the vessel is 109 metres long, with a working moonpool, a working deck area of 1,070 square metres, an anchor recovery frame, a main winch capacity of 500 tonnes, and a secondary one of 170 tonnes, and a bollard pull of 350 tonnes.
According to DOF, this vessel is one of the largest AHTS vessels in the world. It has been operating for Equinor since delivery in 2010. DOF sees the new contract with Equinor as “ proof of the value the vessel and its crew brings to this partnership.”
This deal comes months after DOF got multiple new jobs in the Atlantic region with an undisclosed operator in West Africa. Prior to this, the Norwegian player secured a contract extension in Brazil for one of its AHTS vessels, along with new contracts in West Africa and in the North Sea.