The MSV Regalia accommodation rig has been chartered by Statoil from Prosafe Offshore for service at the Troll A platform in the North Sea.
Worth some NOK 160 million including options, the contract awarded on behalf of the Troll licensees runs for 115 days from July 2004. It contains two options for up to 60 further days.
Regalia has 380 berths, and will be connected to the platform with a bridge.
The charter reflects the need to accommodate up to 150 extra people on Troll A during the Troll precompression (TPK) project.
This aims to boost compressor capacity on the platform in order to pump more gas through the pipelines to the Kollsnes processing plant near Bergen and on to continental Europe.
Troll A is the only North Sea installation powered by electricity from land, which minimises carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions there and at Kollnes.
Due to be in place by 1 October 2005, the new compressors will boost daily gas processing and transport capacity on the platform from 85 million cubic metres to more than 110 million.