A new London-based firm co-founded by the former CEO of Cobalt has launched a US$30 million "flat pack" accomodation barge design for use by the extractive and construction industries, including offshore oil and gas companies.
The barge-based new design, by naval architect Robert McFarlane ShipDesign, Monaco, is called Kabine One. The firm says its research shows there is a need for improved accommodation for work crews, particularly in remote and inhospitable locations worldwide.
The 100m-long ship will accommodate 600 personnel in a mix of VIP, single, and double cabins for executives, supervisors, workers, crew, and security personnel. All cabins have external windows. There are 387 cabins - 98 singles and 269 doubles, 12 corner cabins and eight for VIPs. The design can be adapted for 400-800 occupancy. The design can be adapted either for rivers and coastlines or to support deepwater rigs, and can be moored, anchored or beached upriver, says Kabina.
It has a helideck for medivac and VIP use, and tenders for transfer when at anchor and a 15-tonne, 15m-range deck crane for loading containers, vehicles and other logistical material.
"Having looked at the market we concluded there is a plenty of room for improvement. So we've taken the sophistication of today's cruise-ship design and applied it to the oil and gas industry. For operations near water, Kabina One has many advantages over land camps - it's totally independent, secure, transportable and has a long useful life of 40 years with minimal refits", explains Neil Cheston, a co-Founder of Kabina.
Kabina One is fully air-conditioned and insulated to reduce noise to a minimum. A dramatic five-deck atrium giving all inward facing cabins light and fresh air and to create an onboard 'street' of recreational amenities including executive and workers' gardens. There is one passenger lobby and four high speed elevators serving all decks. For added security there is a safe room. Generators and solar panels provide power, there are onboard freshwater tanks and sewage treatment. The ship complies with IMO & SOLAS, stringent marine safety standards.
"We can provide turnkey project management for this. The cost will be around US$30 million. If a customer wants to charter the vessel on a fully-managed basis we would recommend a leading cruise ship management company to provide all the support needed including management of the vessel, the crew and provisioning. The crew will be around 100 personnel. The cost per person per night will be around $150, making it highly competitive", says Per Jonsson, CEO of Kabina, who has 16 years' experience with GE and was CEO of Cosalt.
The firm's other co-founders are Neil Cheston, yacht and ship broker, and Guy Lane, creative director.
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