FBMA launches high-tech crewboat

FBMA Marine based shipyard in western Cebu, Philippines, has just launched the first of the two ?Sea Slice? 149 passenger offshore crew boats ordered by the Mexican company Hoteleria y Servicios Petroleros (HSP). Named ?Lider?, the innovative ?Sea Slice? design, developed by the US company Lockheed Martin, is based on the Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) design and the newbuilding is claimed to be a state-of-the-art offshore support craft boasting computerized stabilizing systems and designed to cope with extreme weather conditions. Built at a cost of about $9 million, HSP will operate the two vessels, under contract with Mexico’s national oil company, Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), to transport workers and limited cargo from Ciudad del Carmen to the Gulf of Mexico’s Campeche Basin Oil Field, approximately 90 miles offshore.

The ?Lider? will be followed by its sister ship, ?Tenaz?, which will be launched this spring. The 28-metre long newbuildings will improve the operational efficiency and lower the costs for PEMEX by providing quicker transit times in more challenging sea conditions while providing a safer, more comfortable ride. Following the dock and sea trials over the next several months, Lider and Tenaz will be transported together to Mexico for final delivery to HSP this summer.