The Offshore Shuttle is a new and innovative vessel designed for the installation, removal, transportation and repair of large marine structures such as jackets, spars and topsides as well as being used as a dry dock for semi-submersible rigs and other marine vessels. These vessels function like a giant buoyancy tank. It is capable of sub- merging to a great depths, attaching itself to any desired object and then resurfacing with the object attached.

The vessel’s versatility and lifting ability are considered unique, and the technology represents the next step forward in meeting the challenges facing the oil and gas industry in the coming decades. The technical feasibility of the Offshore Shuttle concept has been proven by exact calculations and extensive model testing, and the design has been given a statement of approval by Det Norske Veritas. The first Offshore Shuttle will be available in year 2001, and in the near future Offshore Shuttles will be operating in most of the world's offshore regions.

There are now more than 6,500 offshore oil and gas installations worldwide located on the continental shelf of approximately 53 countries. It is believed that over the next 30 years, most of these structures will have to be decommissioned at an estimated cost of USD 20 billion to USD 40 billion.

published in MarineTalk.com">Marine Shuttle Operations AS