Seismic Survey Ship is the world's best seismic survey vessel. Length 104.2 m, width in the stern 70 m, displacement of 8000 tons, speed 16 nodes, has 24 cable winters total lengthy 12 km. Towed several hundred thousand electronic sensors covering the area more than 12 square km. Crew 80 people built in Japan at the shipyard Mitsubishi Nagasaki.

In 2012, the Norwegian seismic exploration company Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) issued an order for the construction of two W-Ramform ships from the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Courts are representatives of the new, or rather - the fifth generation of the RAMFORM series.

SSS Ramform type ships are the most powerful and efficient ships for marine seismic exploration ever ever existed. They are also the most wide.

These ships are combined together advanced marine technologies and opportunities in the Seismic Seismic Options "GEOSTREAMER". The entire feed of the vessel width of 70 m occupy 24 drums with seismic braids. 16 of them are located on the same line, and 8 more - a little ahead. Increased workspace and advanced equipment makes operations with the participation of the ship safer and functional.

For PGS and its customers, more rapid deployment and equipment extraction, as well as an increased duration of stay in the sea mean the fastest completion of seismic surveys and an increased continuous work coefficient in adverse weather conditions. The period between repairs on the shipyard for repair was also increased by 50%.

The vessel transports more than 6 thousand tons of fuel and equipment. As a rule, it tows a network of several hundred thousand seismicers, covering an area of \u200b\u200bmore than 12 square meters. km, which is equivalent to 1,500 football fields or three and a half Central parks in New York.

SSS RAMFORM type ships provide safe and comfortable accommodation, as well as a working environment for 80 crew members. On board there are 60 single cabins, as well as 10 double cabins for visitors with separate bathrooms.

The type "RAMFORM" is characterized by an unusual deltoid form of the case in terms of wide feed. The first vessel of this type was the vessel of the far hydroacoustic observation of the Maryat, built for Norway Navy in the 90s. The engineering composition of PGS marks a high level of seismic information for such a vessel, which is ensured by the deltoid form of the case. Courts go under the flag of the Bahamas.

John Eric Reinhardsen, president and chief executive officer of the company PGS, commented: "SSS Ramform Titan ship builds seismic exploration on new level. We combined together the most advanced technologies with the most powerful and efficient vessel in the industry. "SSS Ramform Titan" will replenish our fleet and will further strengthen the position of the company on the market, giving us an advantage for the next 10 years. "

Seismic exploration high resolution It is becoming increasingly demanded due to the intensive growth of the deep-sea drilling industry, especially in such complex areas as Brazil, West Africa and the Mexican Bay.

DNV After consulting with leading companies such as Westerngeco, PGS and Fugro-Geoteam, has developed a new classification of seismic vessels. The basis of new technical requirements has become the need to lead space for backup equipment and the corresponding placement of equipment on the deck to ensure continuous operation without loss of speed. The seismic vessels use advanced computer technologies to detect resources under the bottom of the sea, they are key in the chain leading to the subsequent shelf developments. According to DNV representatives, any delays in the movement of the vessel may complicate the process of processing seismic data. It is extremely important to achieve continuity of work that allows you to exclude any technological downtime. Given the high cost of seismic streamers used in the sea, the unexpected speed loss can lead to such serious consequences as a cable damage that can disrupt seismic work.

New requirements are associated with an increase in the availability of ships during the important stages of seismic work. DNV consulted not only with the owners of ships, but also with suppliers of seismic equipment and equipment for work in high pressure conditions to take into account all the questions that may arise in the present and future.

The key problem is to maintain traction power. That is why the classification of DNV is based on reserving one stage of traction power so that any breakdown on board does not lead to a loss of more than 50% of reliability. This is enough to maintain the minimum speed in several nodes and the protection of used expensive underwater guns and streamers.

Typically, seismic vessels work continuously for many months without entering the port. The classification requires such a placement of equipment on the deck to facilitate its transportation of the crew and provide the possibility of replacing from the vessel of the provision. In addition, the new classification establishes the requirements for the placement of the Captain Bridge in order to provide good review Streamers and any boats approaching during the usual work of the vessel. This classification also takes into account high pressure systems to ensure the safety of the crew on the deck.

The new classification was published this summer and strengthened the position of DNV in the market of classification of seismic courts, since the industry pays more and more attention to deep-water intelligence. Jan Kvålsvold, director of market expansion and business development, said: "DNV belongs to a large proportion in this market. Almost every second vessel has a DNV classification. The introduction of a new classification will allow owners working in this high-tech segment of specialized courts, satisfy future needs with maximum safety and reliability. "

- Specialized vessel, intended for laying underwater pipelines. Currently, pipe-layers are widely used in the development of marine oil and gas fields for laying pipelines with a diameter of up to 1220 mm at depths up to 130 m. Triplayers for depths up to 600 m are designed. The pipelayer housing has a simplified form. Sometimes there are barges or ships of another type in the pipelayers. We are promising catamarant type cases or with stabilizing columns, especially for operation in areas with severe weather conditions. The technology of laying a submarine pipeline from the pipe-packer is to build it by consistent welding of sections of pipes on the deck. With small depths to move the pipeline from the deck to the seabed, a curvilinear trigger is used, along which the pipeline extensive is moved from the vessel's feed to the bottom as new pipe sections are welded. With an increase in the depth of the sea on the stern of the vessel, an additional hinged stringer is installed to maintain the pipeline when moving down and prevent the large bends of it when exiting the vessel. For the same, the vessel has a tensioning device. Another way of laying pipelines is drum. In this case, the pipelayer is equipped with a drum, which is wounds made on the shore steel flexible pipeline.

The representative of Khloponina Natalia Platonova refused to comment on the letter, but said that in July, the Deputy Prime Minister reported to the president about the need to build seismic courts in Russia. "Following this meeting, an instruction was given to organize such work. It is about attracting funds to implement the project, which are already laid in the budgets of the respective departments, "she said. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to the request.

Design and construction of new vessels for seismic surveys, Khloponin proposes to entrust the consortium of companies, where the United Construction Corporation will include (OSK, it is planned to place orders at its capacities), the State Procedure "Oceanpribor" (will provide the court of Russian appliances) and "Rosheology", which owns more than 90% of the current Russian seismic surveillance fleet is ten ships, of which only two are adapted to perform work in 3D format.

The construction financing model is now worked out, confirmed RBC CEO of Roshycology Roman Panov. But he did not specify how the necessary 15 billion rubles. Will be distributed between budget and borrowed funds: Khloponin offered some of the funds to attract from extrabudgetary sources, including using financial instruments of the RFPI. "Financing of this project is considered on the principles of public-private partnership. Its sources can be their own and borrowed funds of "Roshyology", as well as partially target funds of the federal budget, "the representative of Roshyology, Anton Sergeev added.

The Ministry of Environment recommended that Rosnedram consider the possibility of financing this project by redeploying funds from the budget for the reproduction of the mineral resource base, as hanged by Khloponin, his spokesman said to Nikolai Gudkov. Rosheology, by decision of the government in 2015-2016, was appointed the only performer of the state order of geological exploration. But since 2017, it is deprived of this right, and such work will again be distributed to Rosnedarms and the Ministry of Earth in tenders among specialized companies. Budget financing of geological exploration in 2017 will be reduced by 5% compared with the current year (33 billion rubles), the minister said to journalists natural resources Sergey Donskoy in September.

But Rosnedra opposed the redistribution of budget funds. The activities of the state program "Reproduction of the mineral resource base" are not provided for the allocation of funds for the construction of ships, the letter of the Department of the Office of Sergei Aksenov in the Ministry of Industry of July 22 (RBC has a copy). The redistribution of funds allocated for geological exploration will lead "to non-compliance with target indicators and unaccepting the goal of the subprogramme on sustainable provision of the country's economy with reserves of mineral raw materials and geological information about subsoil," concludes Aksenov.

The Deputy Challenge Rosnedr proposes to build seismic surveys exclusively at the expense of extrabudgetary funds, including with the involvement of the owners of a license for shelves interested in attracting such vessels. In Russia, the right to extract oil on the Arctic shelf is only two companies - Rosneft and Gazprom. Rosneft has its own shipyard "Star" (it finances its main shareholder of the company Rosneftegaz), where several ships are already being built, Her spokesman said Mikhail Leontyev. According to him, the company has its own agreed investments in exploration and shipbuilding, it did not receive any recommendations from Rosnedre on participation in financing two seismic courts. The representative of Gazprom did not respond to the request.

The source in the Ministry of Industry confirmed that the construction of such vessels is a non-core article of expenditures on exploration. Platonova said that the consortium should prepare a business model for the construction of two vessels, which is planned to be discussed at a meeting until the end of October. Director of the Information Policy Department and Corporate Communications of the OSK Ilya Zhytomyr said that the Corporation would not participate in the financing of the project - she is ready only to build vessels. The representative of Ocean Pribrability did not respond to the RBC request. The official representative of the RDP refused comment.

Licenses with encumbrance

The economic efficiency of construction and exploitation of seismic courts is achieved with the sustainable provision of their orders for companies working on the shelf, they say in the letter of the cotton, that is, the same Rosneft and Gazprom. It reminds that similar conditions operate in such countries with a developed system for developing offshore deposits, as the United States, China and Norway. So he suggested Putin to entrust the government when actualizing licenses of these companies since 2019 to oblige them to acquire seismic surveillance services on the shelf among Russian state companies (the share of the state is more than 50%), which have experience in shelf areas of at least five years, " equal competitive conditions for the provision of homogeneous services and works. " Under these criteria, only Roshycology and Zarubezhneft are falling. "Zarubezhneft" has a profile subsidiary According to service work on the shelf "Arcticmoreneftegazridka", but in its arsenal there is only a drilling rig, and not the seismic-speaking fleet, it is said on the company's website.

The inclusion of such a condition in the license according to the law "On the Protection of Competition" is an action that leads or can lead to a limitation of competition, written Aksenov from Rosnedre to the Ministry of Environment. At the same time, on the recommendation of the Security Council, the priority is already provided for the involvement of Russian contractors, taking into account their competitiveness, with other things being equal in the price and quality of work, it reminds.

"Roshegology" should not be considered a fairly competent performer of work for seismic exploration on the Arctic shelf, RBC Leontyev said. In his opinion, the company acts as an intermediary to attract services of other contractors. He agrees with the Rosnedr official that such an item in licenses can lead to a limitation of competition in the market. Rosneft is now the largest volume of seismic surveys on the Russian shelf, and the company would like to preserve the right to attract contractors that arrange it at the price and quality of work, he added.

The representative of the FAS reported RBC that information about the initiatives of Khloponin in the field of seismic exploration was not yet received. The question of the potential limitation of competition, he did not comment.

Seismic vessel passes the Suez Canal.

I did not think it was not wondering, but I had a chance to visit the seismic vessel and slightly raise the veil over what and how they do. Anyway, this area remained for me Terra Incognita, but I learned something (in seismology I can make mistakes in detail, I ask you hard not to beat, but correct if someone is in the subject).

Initially, a sound source for marine seismic studies was dynamite. Due to its obvious danger later, pneumatic guns were used as a source.

The accumulation of seismic data is the cartography of the underwater structure in constant search for hydrocarboons.
First, the data form was two-dimensional. The data was obtained using a single hose seismic accommodation (or simply - oblique, it is a streamer, from the English. "Streamer") and one source of the signal.

Later, a new method was developed for three-dimensional mapping. To do this, seek to establish as much as possible braid streamers, to cover a large area, as possible. The Vyacheslav Tikhonov vessel under consideration has 8 CBS to remove the data (this is not the maximum number, there are vessels with a large number of KOS).

The data collection method can be compared with a very large echo sounder. The beep is sent to the aircraft down on the seabed, and then the towed cable registers the reflected signals that are recorded.

So the ship with released seismic equipment looks like.

The length of one braid on the vessel "Vyacheslav Tikhonov" has a length of 6,000 meters (it is meters, and not cable and pr. Sea units).
The design of the COP into the working condition and their sample at the end of measurements is not a quick, takes a few days. At the same time, as during measurements, the vessel should follow a strictly defined kit with a fixed rate (in this mode, the operating speed is about 5 nodes). Because It is quite difficult and tedious for a person to withstand so clearly course and speed, a dynamic positioning system (DP) is installed on the ship, which allows you to perform this task automatically. Navigators are mainly followed by the navigation situation, establish communication with the courts to ensure safe discrepancies, etc. The rotation radius in measurement mode is somewhat miles, so that the braids are not confused. The team of the vessel's course is set from the seismological laboratory on the ship.

Also, to ensure a safe discrepancies with other vessels, to prevent the damage to the towed braids (by the way, the cost of one braids with all equipment is about $ 2 million) and other auxiliary tasks, two vessels of tracking work (in English - Chase boats). There is also one auxiliary ship to deliver supply and crew, for bunkering and other auxiliary tasks. For the successful implementation of these tasks, the research vessel must keep a reliable and permanent connection with tracking courts, to inform them in a timely manner about their plans.

As already mentioned above, the rotation in the measurement mode is quite a challenge. When the distance between external braids is 800 meters, the rotation radius should be at least 4,000 meters, increasing in bad weather to 5,000 meters. When turning with a radius of 5 km, the rotation speed should be 3 degrees per minute. It should be noted that the weather conditions and the state of the sea have a strong influence on the trajectory of the turn. When turning, navigators are focused on the position of paravans - towed brass discs.

On the right in the photo is visible to the discharge (Baravan, Paravane), in the first photo it can be seen on board.

In the measurement mode, it is necessary to follow the Durga ships and ask them to leave the zone not only due to the threat of a collision or damage to the COP. With close passing of another vessel, especially large, the quality of measurements is lost, because The integrity of the sound source is disturbed. Therefore, if it is not possible to agree with another vessel for any reason about discrepancies at a large distance, then it is advisable to disperse closer and faster. Because measurements will still be violated, and it is necessary to minimize the contact time to save time for measurements.
It is noted that when passing offshore terminals, where large tankers are loaded with a dynamic positioning system, even at a distance of 12 miles, measurements will be actually destroyed, and they will have to re-enter when the tanker goes away from the pier.

If there is another seismological ship in the area, then his work can affect our ship at a distance of about 80 miles. Therefore, in such cases, in order not to interfere with each other's work, negotiate a graph of measurements. For example, there were cases when 8 ships worked simultaneously in the North Sea.

According to the project developer, ULStein, the vessel body shape, pointed out as Ulstein X-Bow, together with a diesel-electric transmitted system, provides exceptional efficiency in terms of fuel consumption, seaworthiness and speed. However, despite the commercial, present on Youtube (comparative race of two ships in storm conditions), the application of the concept specifically seems not quite justified here. I come out of a purely practical assessment and your vision, a daughty IMHO. Namely: My very scarce knowledge in the hydrodynamics of the buildings tell me that the circles will work at speeds close to complete, but in any above average. The working speed of this vessel in the measurement mode (the main purpose of the vessel) is 4-5 nodes.
During my presence on board, with the course with a scope of 4.5 nodes, it was quite unpleasant to ripped up to 5 degrees of the roll, with a very easy seafood and wind 7 m / s. The crew also told when working in the profile (removal of measurements), with equipment overboard, the wave beat from the bottom into the nose with the rise of this nose, with all the "aroused" consequences of the least torics crew members.

The rowing unit includes two adjustable steps (VRSH) screws. Each screw is driven by a 4,800 kW asynchronous engine, adjustable by water-cooled frequency converter. The transmission of rotation on the screw is carried out through the gearbox.

The vessel is equipped with a nasal and feed tunnel tunnel devices, as well as a retractable azimutic sweater (Compass Thruster) in the nose.

The length of the vessel is 84 m, the width is 17 m, the maximum sediment is 6 m. Deadweight at the maximum sediment is 2,250 tons.
According to the specification, the speed of the vessel with a load of 100% for each screw, with a pure body and calm water, should be approximately 18.5 nodes.

Auxiliary ship carries out a maneuver of rapprochement.

The auxiliary ship mooring for bunker operations on the go.

As soon as choose a free minute to disassemble photos, I will make a phototour on the ship.

Note. These photos are obtained from the crew.