Singaporean shipbuilder Strategic Marine on Tuesday announced it secured a four-vessel crew boat order from Malaysian operator Surya Nautika.
Slated for delivery to the licensed Petronas contractor progressively from the first quarter of 2023, the newbuilds will be Strategic Marine's 40-meter Gen3 Fast Crew Boat (FCB) designed by Southerly Designs of Australia in collaboration with Strategic Marine, with bespoke layout and features for Surya Nautika.
The new vessels will feature a remote-controlled water monitor with a capacity of 1200m³/hr, making it fully equipped to carry out external fire-fighting roles and safety standby duties.
Each will be equipped with three Caterpillar C32 engines driving fixed pitch propellers. Meanwhile, station-keeping and maneuvering capability is enhanced by a tunnel thruster installed at the bow.
The aft deck has a large clear area of 120m² with deck strength of 2t/m². The vessel cargo fuel capacity is 70m³ and cargo freshwater capacity is 30m³ allowing for extended endurance operations at sea.
Internally the vessel will feature a large galley, and mess areas with dry store catering for a large crew with extended operational endurance. The passenger saloon offers 80 reclining seats arranged with either single or twin seats in each row to provide additional space and privacy.
Strategic Marine said the latest order is its third for these vessels from Malaysian operators.
Surya Nautika provides marine transportation and offshore support services for the Malaysian offshore oil and gas industry, with clients such as Petronas, Shell and ExxonMobil. The company currently owns and operates a fleet of seven crew boats and the new orders will combine both expansion and a fleet renewal program aimed at making Surya one of the largest crew boat operators in Malaysia. Surya Nautika also provides diving and engineering services in Malaysia and is currently investing in a new saturation diving system and ROVs for its subsea business.
Surya Nautika’s Managing Director, Muhamad Faez Bin Ab Gani commented, “Our FCB fleet will now expand to 10 ships during the course of next year which we expect to enable us to achieve economies of scale and to provide a wider range of services to our clients in the future.”