Hydro has entered into a three-year agreement regarding use of the Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessel (AHTS) "Bourbon Orca". The contract is valued at around NOK 250 million.
The contract with Bourbon Offshore Norway also incudes three one-year option periods. Consequently, the total value of the contract can be around NOK 500 million.
The vessel "Bourbon Orca" will continue with a task it is already carrying out for Hydro. Along with the vessels "Skandi Admiral" and "Bourbon Surf" it will form a pool of support vessels operating out of Mongstad, north of Bergen.
While the "Skandi Admiral" is used to a large extent in the northern areas, the two Bourbon vessels play a key role in Hydro's operations in the North Sea.
The modern AHTS vessel "Bourbon Orca" has the "Ulstein AX104" design, known for its special hull shape and bow formed in the shape of an axe, that together create the so-called "Ulstein X-Bow" that cleaves the waves.
With its excellent properties in areas such as safety during anchor handling and crane operations, seaworthiness, towing, and energy consumption, the vessel will make a valuable contribution to Hydro's marine operations from the Mongstad base.
The contract was awarded following ordinary competitive bidding.