SEAWORTHY
The Norwegian company, North Sea Shipping AS, has a fleet of specialised ships that serve the offshore oil and gas industry. Joseph Altham spoke to Knut Karstein Rabben, North Sea Shipping’s General manager, to hear about the difficult work these ships do and the new offshore construction vessel the company has commissioned.
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orth Sea Shipping is one of the most experienced shipping companies in the offshore industry, with a history of involvement in offshore oil and gas that goes back to 1984. The company is based in Austevoll, a group of islands whose main industries are fishing and offshore energy. The headquarters of North Sea Shipping are in the village of Bakkasund, right on the quayside. Other firms charter the company’s ships for all kinds of offshore work. These tasks include laying power cables and pipes and conducting
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seismic surveys, together with general inspection, repair and maintenance work. Besides the office in Bakkasund, North Sea Shipping also has a branch in Spain, in the port city of Vigo. At the shipyard in Vigo, North Sea Shipping uses its expertise to manage and supervise construction of new vessels for its clients. North Sea Shipping employs a total of around 120 people, including the ships’ crews. The crews, as Mr Rabben explained, are in a demanding profession. “Members of the crew of an offshore vessel need special skills. They
have to have special knowledge of electrical equipment and must be able to operate the cranes. They must also have dynamic positioning experience and be prepared to work in cold weather.”
Atlantic Guardian North Sea Shipping’s most important vessels are the Atlantic Guardian and the North Sea Giant. According to Mr Rabben, this year, the Atlantic Guardian has been conducting seismic surveys of areas of the North Sea. In oil exploration, seismic
