Early April saw a new
Infield Support Vessel (ISV )
arrive in Darwin for KT
Maritime Services Australia,
at the same time as the
joint venture company’s
ownership structure was
being revised.
KOTUG Australia and
Teekay Shipping Australia
concluded a deal to re-
shape KT Maritime Services
Australia (KTM) from a
50:50 joint venture to a full
subsidiary of the KOTUG
group.
KTM was incorporated in
2012 and provides all towage
operations for Shell’s Prelude
FLNG, as well as towage
assistance at ConocoPhillips’
Bayu Undan FSO, for which
it employs four ISVs. All
vessels are owned by the
KOTUG Group.
This includes RT Raven,
which arrived in Australiafrom its builder’s yard in
the UAE in early April. It
is the first of a new design
ISV. The ART 100-46 design
was developed by Canadian
naval architecture firm
Robert Allan Ltd, in close
collaboration with Rotortug
B.V., KOTUG Group, and
KTM.
To be deployed at
ConocoPhillips’ Bayu Undan
field in the Timor Sea, RT
Raven represents a number
of “firsts” in Rotortug®
history.
The arrangement of the aft
centreline skeg was arrived
at after a comprehensive
model testing and CFD
program spent finding
the optimal appendage
configuration for the best
balance of the competing
attributes of course
stability, manoeuvrability,
side-stepping speed, andresistance.
Selection of the aft
centreline skeg created a
challenge, as a Rotortug’s
aft Z-drive is located in the
same location. However, in
cooperation with Z-drive
supplier Schottel, a suitable
arrangement was arrived
at whereby a customised
thruster with extended
leg length was supplied in
order for the aft Z-drive
propeller and nozzle to
extend underneath the
skeg. Adding a single tunnel
thruster through the skeg
then allowed for the DP2
capability to be achieved
relatively easily.
Capable of producing 100
tonnes bollard pull, the 46m
long, 16m wide RT Raven
has a total deadweight of
890 tonnes and a 190 square
metre aft cargo deck.
The aft deck features awaterfall winch with both
steel wire and synthetic
ship-handling towline, a
retractable 800mm diameter
towing staple, Kooiman
Delta Pins and fork, a stern
roller, two tugger winches,
two capstans, cargo rails,
and a deck crane. The
foredeck features a split
drum ship-handling and
tanker pull-back winch.
The ISV is capable of
roles including: escorting,
berthing and unberthing
operations; tanker pull-back
operations; anchor handling;
subsea support activities;
Fi-Fi Class 1 capability;
and rescue and emergency
evacuation capability,
amongst other things.
The transaction in KTM’s
ownership structure is
scheduled to be finalised on
1 July 2018.KT Maritime starts
a new chapter
210 tradeaboat.com.au
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