Rovco signs long-term charter with Glomar Offshore for multipurpose support vessel

The global provider of subsea robotics and integrated survey solutions has signed a long-term charter party agreement with Glomar Offshore for the vessel, marking a significant expansion of the company’s offshore hydrographic, geophysical, and shallow geotechnical survey capabilities.

Responding to high client demand amid a rapidly growing offshore wind market, Rovco, working in collaboration with Glomar and marine design consultants, Medea, will reconfigure the vessel to permanently carry an entire suite of state-of-the-art survey sensors and equipment, aimed at providing the highest quality data capture, reporting and technology enabled solutions for a streamlined and efficient site characterisation offering.

Upon completion of dry docking in February 2023, the vessel will be delivered to Rovco complete with a keel mounted gondola, an array of deck equipment, and dedicated high-end survey and reporting office suites.

The gondola, designed and analysed for performance by Medea, will contain a suite of permanently installed survey sensors including dual head multibeam configurations, with inbuild roll and pitch stabilisation for high quality acquisition.

The main deck will be reconfigured to feature a main stern A-Frame for the deployment and towing of multiple sensor types, including seismic equipment, as well as adding secondary deck handling equipment for deployment of cone penetration test (CPT) and Vibrocorers to facilitate efficient sampling of in-situ soil conditions and taking advantage of the stable DP2 platform.

Upon delivery, Rovco will install a host of additional leading-edge technology to enable force multiplication during survey operations and fast, large data packet transfers to shore for reporting efficiency. The entire package is designed to bring significant schedule efficiencies and cost savings to clients.

Rovco will mobilise a dedicated survey team onboard the Glomar Supporter to deliver a comprehensive package of site characterisation solutions and specialised offshore survey projects, with a key focus on supporting the rapidly growing pipeline of offshore wind projects from their Aberdeen operational base, across Scot-Wind, the Southern North, Irish, and Celtic Sea developments.

Built in 2009, the Glomar Supporter, which has a proven track record in safe and efficient operations, underwent an extensive rebuild and refurbishment in 2021. The 60 m vessel is equipped with DP2 station keeping capabilities, a carrying capacity of around 1395 DWT and a combined deck space of 497 m².

Craig Davis, Director of Site Characterisation at Rovco, said: “This agreement marks the continuation of a strong working relationship between Rovco and Glomar Offshore, as we adapt to support increasing client demand for turnkey integrated survey solutions across the offshore wind market. The Supporter will allow us to operate in a more efficient way for our customers, helping to accelerate the delivery of critical offshore wind projects.”

Klaas Weij, CEO of Glomar Offshore, commented: “Combining our great co-operation with Rovco over the last seasons and our Group’s in-house vessel upgrade expertise, we are excited to embark on this long-term charter of our Glomar Supporter. As a company, we believe in the vast potential of the offshore renewables survey market and look forward to having Rovco onboard for the next years.”

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