Offshore support ship operator Sentinel Marine, of Aberdeen, has taken delivery of the 10th vessel in a new-build programme going back seven years.
The near 200ft, 2,030-tonne Cromarty Sentinel, built in Fujian in south-east China, is making its maiden voyage to the Granite City via Singapore.
It is expected to arrive in Aberdeen in early March.
Sentinel Marine said it was the most efficient of the new-builds to date.
Investment creating jobs
A total of 24 new jobs have been created though the latest fleet investment, raising the company’s headcount to 300.
The emergency response and rescue vessel (ERRV) specialist placed a £150 million order for nine new ships in 2015.
Another three vessels are being delivered in a second phase of the new-build programme.
Cromarty Sentinel, with room for up to 34 crew, is the first of these.
The other two ships are expected to be delivered to Sentinel Marine by the end of 2022.
‘Green passports’
All of the new-builds have “green passports” listing all the materials used in their construction which are potentially hazardous to human health or the environment.
When the ships get decommissioned at the end of their lives, these documents will also be sent to the recycling yards.
Sentinel Marine chief executive Rory Deans said: “Since we started to build the Sentinel fleet of vessels, efficiency and green credentials have always been at the forefront of our minds.
“We build vessels which are operationally efficient, but which also deliver positive environmental benefits.
“The fuel efficiency of the whole Sentinel fleet supports our clients’ moves towards reducing their environmental impacts towards the net-zero economy.”
Mr Deans added: “The welfare of our seafarers is of equal importance to us.
“All of our vessels have been designed and built to provide greater levels of crew comfort in terms of both facilities, such as a gym, and through the use of anti-rolling tanks for stabilisation.”
The Sentinel fleet has been designed to perform a wide range of tasks, including collision avoidance, oil spill recovery, patrolling waters for fisheries agencies, fast response, in-field transfers, search and rescue, border control and disruption of criminal activities such as people trafficking.
Diversification
Much of the work takes place in the North Sea oilfields.
But Sentinel Marine said it was seeing increased opportunities beyond traditional ERRV roles.
Mr Deans added: “We have developed a fleet which, regardless of the end user’s specific sector, presents efficiencies.”
Sentinel Marine, which has offices in Aberdeen, the Netherlands and Singapore, was launched in 2011.
It has its roots in another company, Nomis Shipping, founded by Mr Deans and his father, Frank, in 1989.
BP says four new Scottish-built ships will support about 500 jobs