Trans RINA, Vol 153, Part A1, Intl J Maritime Eng, Jan-Mar 2011
respect, these vessels are not only very well suited for operations in, for example, the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa and Southeast Asia, but also in areas exposed to inclement weather such as the North Sea, Canada and the northern part of the Pacific, although in these areas a semi-submersible flotel is preferred, as explained later on.
As per SOLAS and Class Societies, flotels may be of the passenger type or of the Special Purpose Ship type (SPS), as discussed in the following sections.
4.2 PASSENGER FLOTEL SHIPS
In Classification Societies and as per SOLAS rules, the application of
the class notation Passenger Ship is
limited to cruise and ferries ships, and it would not be possible to apply it to other structures such as barges, semi-submersibles or any other innovative structure, as they are not “ships”. But the novel concept of flotel ships means that some of them are included in this category, as shown in table 3, and as in the following example.
4.2 (a) Dan Swift
The dynamically positioned Accommodation and Support Vessel Dan Swift was converted in 2009 from a former cable laying ship at Blohm + Voss Shipyards (Germany) by
offshore contractor J. Lauritzen
Singapore Pte. Ltd. It is designed to work adjacent to both fixed structures, platforms and floating units such as FPSOs and semi-submersibles.
Recently, IMO and some Classification Societies such as DNV have revised the definition of this category of Special Purpose Ships due to an increasing demand for sophisticated types of ships carrying personnel performing specialized work onboard. The new IMO SPS Code 2008 and the DNV Class Notation SPS take into consideration the fact that many
SOLAS
provisions for cargo ships have been substantially improved since the first SPS Code was adopted. It is expected that
this might, in some cases, simplify
conversion of relatively new dry cargo ships into SPS ships in the future.
But in relation to accommodation vessels, there has been some controversy inside the Classification Societies about the use of the SPS category. In principle, the SPS Code should be a voluntary code and it is up to each administration to decide how it should be applied. When delegated by Flag, the Classification Society should follow the instruction from Flag with Statutory Certificates. However, the 2008 SPS Code clearly states that “the code is not intended for ships used to transport
and Certificate could Figure 10: Dan Swift.
Technical features: Tonnage: Length: Beam: Draft: Speed:
Capacity: Class: Cost:
13,600 GT 149.50 m 20.75 m 7.8 m 12 kn
291 berths in total with 256 passenger berths: four single cabins, 34 double cabins, 46 four-person cabins
DNV 1A1 Passenger Ship, E0, HELDK-SH, DYNPOS-AUTR, NAUT-OC, CLEAN, BWM-E(s), COMF-V(3) -
accommodate industrial
personnel that are not working on board”. Based on this, an accommodation vessel only operating with Cargo Ship
Certificates supported run into
with a SPS problems with local
authorities and future changes of flag. A Passenger Ship Safety Certificate or MODU Code Certificate would be better options for statutory certificates. An example is the case of M/V ARV1 (Accommodation Repair Vessel) owned by Equinox Offshore, which was planned to be converted from an original ro-ro pax ship to a Special Purpose Ship, but will ultimately be delivered in late 2010 as a Ro-Ro passenger ship.
The following section is an example of a SPS flotel. 4.3 (a) Edda Accommodation
This is a Multipurpose Accommodation and Service Vessel owned by Østensjø Group, which has a long history in offshore services and is also the owner of Edda Fjord, the first flotel ship. The vessel, designed by Wärtsila Ship Design and being built at Barreras Shipyard (Spain), is to begin operation in the first quarter of 2011. It is equipped with the highest class of
4.3 SPECIAL PURPOSE SHIP (SPS) FLOTEL
Special Purpose Ships (SPS) is the main class notation used for ships giving services to Offshore
Oil
Platforms, such us construction vessels, supply vessels, anchor handlers, etc. and including also Accommodation Support Vessels (Flotels). As the personnel on board these vessels, in spite of not being seamen, are quite experienced in working at sea, they are not considered passengers, but “special purpose” people. Some rules from passenger vessels are applied, sometimes along with some rules from cargo vessels.
©2011: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects
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