Rolls-Royce urges caution on vessel specification

Citing feedback from crews, Jan Emblemsvåg, senior vice president of ship design and systems, told press at the company’s Ålesund headquarters that however advanced vessels were, crews used them in more or less the same way. He noted that operations in regions including the Middle East and the South China Sea, with shallow waters, do not demand the high-end equipment specification that some companies demand.

Identifying a niche that is developing between high-spec offshore vessels and the lower end of the market, Emblemsvåg noted: “I think over specification has been a problem in the industry. We are looking at making things simpler in some of our mid-range vessels – not poor quality but delivering what the ship owner needs, reducing complexity, making vessels more cost efficient and tailoring them to the needs of specific markets.

“We are working on this because there are many tenders for this type of vessel. And I think that if oil companies could push [the need for correct specification] down the value chain, they would be able to drive a lot of costs out of their fleets.”

Rolls-Royce Marine will be launching a new series of mid-range anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels, priced between US$12-15 million, at the International Workboat Show in December. The focus will be on high value and fuel efficiency, while the range will be the first to feature a new design for Rolls-Royce’s UT vessels.

“In the 1970s and 1980s you could tell a UT vessel from looking at it,” said Emblemsvåg. “Since then the same design has been adopted by the whole market. So we are overhauling our design, with the aim that you should be able to see a UT vessel from afar.”

The company will be undergoing similar work on its passenger supply vessel (PSV) portfolio. But in light of the current depressed market for such vessels, Emblemsvåg said the sector was not an immediate priority.