Another six offshore supply ships have been tied up by their Norwegian companies for the foreseeable future, bringing the total number of vessels laid up because of a lack of work to more than 100.
Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN) reported Tuesday that Norwegian companies including John Fredriksen’s Deep Sea Supply, Siem Offshore, Viking Supply Ships and Island Offshore are sending a total of six vessels into lay-up. Ship broker firm Westshores had reported that 81 supply ships were already tied up and DN noted that another 14 seismic and subsea vessels are also idle.
There simply isn’t enough oil exploration or oil field activity at present to keep the vessels busy. With each vessel going into lay-up, crews on board are also made redundant and jobs onshore disappear as well.
“We’re working to move our crews around where there’s work, but there will unfortunately be layoffs,” Håvard Ulstein of Island Offshore Management told DN. It has its vessel Island Spirit in winter storage, while Christen Sveaas’ Viking Supply Ships is sending its Odin Viking into lay-up. The company, like many other oil service firms, is warning of more cost-cutting, to the tune of NOK 70 million, and writing down the value of its fleet.
newsinenglish.no staff
