OSV converted into a Multi-Purpose Drilling Vessel

Omalius in new livery converted into drilling vessel at Remontowa. Photo: Piotr B. Stareńczak — Omalius in new livery converted into drilling vessel at Remontowa.
Photo: Piotr B. Stareńczak

Earlier this year Remontowa Shiprepair Yard SA was occupied with an interesting conversion and upgrade. The 83 m long, multipurpose offshore support vessel (OSV) / AHTS Normand Draupne, arrived at Remontowa in March 2015 still in its old livery of one of the leading Norwegian offshore support fleet operators – Solstad Offshore.

Now the ship is operated by Belgian Owners G-tec SA, which specializes in providing geotechnical engineering services, as well as marine geophysical surveys and marine environmental surveys.

Extensive range of works was ordered at Remontowa including a repair and conversion job as well resulting in upgrading and widening the ship’s capabilities. The upgrade mainly meant installation of new crucial equipment on deck.

After completion of works at Remontowa, the ship has become a drill ship. Not a typical oil and gas exploration drill ship though, but a geological survey and coring / sampling one. Among the tasks entrusted to the ship will be the surveying and preparing the seabed for installations of offshore wind farms.

A computer rendering of Omalius in its new role. Fig.: G-Tec.

At Remontowa, all the structures have been put in place enabling to install, in Belgium, the G-tec Offshore ’s drill rig GT 30, specially designed to work safely in challenging environmental offshore conditions in high tidal waters (up to 13m tide). The rig is built on a mezzanine deck, allowing storage of both SBF and SB CPT below the drill floor. A dedicated launching mechanism offers a quick, smooth and safe switch between drilling mode and seabed CPT mode through the large moonpool, that was installed at Remontowa.

Ex Normand Draupne, now Omalius, during its stay at Remontowa, received, besides structures enabling to install the mentioned mezzazine deck and a drilling derrick, also the moonpool (prefabricated on shore and installed in one piece into a “well” cut off from the hull).

The employees of Remontowa SA, supported by teams of Famos (also member of Remontowa Holding) and PBUCh refurbished and upgraded accommodation spaces onboard Omalius (refurbishing and outfitting of cabins on main deck, modernization of the HVAC system). The vessel received also new sanitary and sewage water system, electrical system and had its main engine repaired as well as the hull maintenance performed in addition to some steelwork. Bio-block has been also installed.