Switzerland-based offshore geotechnical engineering and drilling company Geoquip Marine has added a dynamic positioning class 2, multi-purpose offshore support vessel to its fleet.
Renamed Geoquip Saentis, formerly Toisa Vigilant, the 80-m platform supply vessel (PSV) is currently being refitted in Liverpool with the latest version of Geoquip’s GMR600 fully heave-compensated offshore geotechnical drilling rig. A moonpool is also being added to the centre of the vessel to allow drilling operations. Geoquip Saentis has two work-class remotely operated vehicles and a clear deck area of 720 m3.
The PSV, which was built in China and delivered in 2005, has accommodation and workspace for 55 crew. It will provide a stable platform for offshore geotechnical operations, allowing seabed cone penetration testing equipment and remotely operated vehicles to be mobilised alongside the company’s geotechnical drilling system GMR600, suitable for conducting drilling and sampling in all soil conditions up to 800 m depth plus borehole depth using steel API drill pipe.
Available for worldwide operation, Geoquip Saentis will first be deployed for a contract at a large offshore windfarm in northern Europe, according to the company.
“The acquisition of Geoquip Saentis is a significant milestone in the development of the business provides a great enhancement to the range of services we provide,” said Geoquip Marine chief executive Stewart Higginson.
“This is the latest of a number of significant investments since we started working with Njord Partners, a specialist European investment fund, last year,” said Mr Higginson, “and the result of this has been record growth for the business, working with some of the most recognisable international brands in our target markets, including Conoco Phillips, ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco and pre-eminent offshore windfarm developers.”
According to Geoquip Marine, it has purchased additional downhole geotechnical testing equipment to increase the number of services it can provide and has also invested in additional tool handling equipment to enhance the safety of its operations.
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