Then of course you notice a huge difference compared to the merchant fleet. The difference, both in salary and duration of contracts, and in work. Often these are shifts of 6 in 6 hours. For some it's hard, for others it's hard to get used to. But almost everyone agrees that it's worth it. From myself I can say that you get tired. After all, there are duties that are done outside the watch.

The offshore vessels I currently work with are called seismic (or scientific).

What are seismics? These are ships that are busy collecting all kinds of information at sea. For example, collecting information about the presence of oil or gas deposits in a certain area. Such ships pull cables that can reach a length of 7 miles. It is difficult to say how many such cables a ship can pull at the same time, but there are already ships for 14 cables. This is expensive equipment that is etched in a special way so that the cables do not intertwine.

The main part of the cable is under water, so it’s hard to say that something is trailing behind the seismic. The only thing that indicates the length of the cable is the tail buoy. But you must admit that at a distance of 7 miles, who knows what is flashing there. So you have to watch all the courts.

A seismic vessel usually does not work alone, but in a convoy. Those. there are other offshore vessels that are only concerned with the safety and security of the seismic. The task of such vessels is to follow the instructions of the seismic. They usually go ahead, make sure that there are no nets or any floating objects in the way of the seismic. They also drive away fishermen and warn other vessels about seismic operations in the area. Additionally, they can make a crew change, transfer of food or supplies.

Those. if you are sailing on a merchant ship and everything around is calm, you do not interfere with anyone, and someone will tell you 18-20 miles away. You know, these are offshore vessels and most likely seismic operations are taking place in the area. So, for sure you received Navarea, where the boundaries of the area and all the details are indicated. In any case, you will be reminded and asked not to approach the seismic and cables closer than three miles, as large vessels create noise and this interferes with reading information.

From myself I can say that I am pleased that I ended up offshore. Offshore vessels are different. Working there is not harder, not easier. The work is completely different compared to the merchant fleet. But the work is interesting. Everyone understands that big money just does not pay. Getting offshore is not easy. You need to be a good specialist, and have luck. I wish that you are always lucky, wherever you are.

Khloponin's spokesman, Natalia Platonova, declined to comment on the letter, but said that in July the deputy prime minister reported to the president about the need to build seismic survey vessels in Russia. “As a result of this meeting, an instruction was given to organize such work. We are talking about raising funds for the implementation of the project, which are already included in the budgets of the relevant departments,” she said. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to a request.

Khloponin proposes to entrust the design and construction of new vessels for seismic exploration to a consortium of companies, which will include the United Construction Corporation (USC, it is planned to place orders at its facilities), the Okeanpribor state concern (which will provide vessels with Russian equipment) and Rosgeo, which owns more than 90% of the existing of the Russian seismic fleet - ten vessels, of which only two are adapted to perform work in 3D format.

The construction financing model is currently being worked out, Roman Panov, director general of Rosgeologiya, confirmed to RBC. But he did not specify how the necessary 15 billion rubles. will be distributed between the budget and borrowed funds: Khloponin proposed to attract part of the funds from extrabudgetary sources, including using RDIF financial instruments. “Financing of this project is considered on the principles of public-private partnership. Its sources can be Rosgeologia’s own and borrowed funds, as well as partially earmarked funds from the federal budget,” added Anton Sergeev, representative of Rosgeologia.

The Ministry of Natural Resources recommended that Rosnedra consider financing this project by redistributing funds from the budget for the reproduction of the mineral resource base, as Khloponin suggested, his spokesman Nikolai Gudkov said. In 2015-2016, Rosgeo was appointed the sole executor of the state order for geological exploration by decision of the government. But since 2017, it has been deprived of this right, and such work will again be distributed by Rosnedra and the Ministry of Natural Resources at tenders among specialized companies. Budget funding for exploration work in 2017 will be reduced by 5% compared to the current year (33 billion rubles), Minister of Natural Resources Sergei Donskoy told reporters in September.

But Rosnedra opposed the redistribution of budgetary funds. The activities of the state program "Reproduction of the mineral resource base" do not provide for the allocation of funds for the construction of ships, according to a letter from the deputy head of the department, Sergei Aksenov, to the Ministry of Natural Resources dated July 22 (RBC has a copy). ​The redistribution of funds allocated for exploration will lead to “failure to meet the targets and failure to achieve the goal of the subprogram on sustainable provision of the country's economy with mineral reserves and geological information about the subsoil,” concludes Aksyonov.

The Deputy Head of Rosnedra proposes to build seismic exploration vessels exclusively at the expense of extra-budgetary funds, including with the involvement of offshore license holders interested in attracting such vessels. In Russia, only two companies, Rosneft and Gazprom, have the right to extract oil on the Arctic shelf. Rosneft has its own Zvezda shipyard (financed by the company's main shareholder, Rosneftegaz), where several ships are already being built, its spokesman Mikhail Leontyev said. According to him, the company has its own agreed investments in exploration and shipbuilding, it has not received any recommendations from Rosnedra regarding participation in the financing of two seismic survey vessels. A spokesman for Gazprom did not respond to a request.

A source in the Ministry of Natural Resources confirmed that the construction of such vessels is a non-core expenditure item for 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 before the end of October. Ilya Zhitomirsky, director of the information policy and corporate communications department at USC, said that the corporation would not take part in financing the project - it was only ready to build ships. The representative of Okeanpribor did not respond to a request from RBC. An RDIF official declined to comment.

Encumbranced licenses

The economic efficiency of the construction and operation of seismic vessels is achieved with a steady supply of orders from companies operating on the shelf, Khloponin's letter, that is, the same Rosneft and Gazprom, says in a letter. He recalls that similar conditions apply in countries with a developed offshore field development system, such as the United States, China and Norway. Therefore, he suggested that Putin instruct the government, when updating the licenses of these companies starting from 2019, to oblige them to purchase offshore seismic services from Russian state-owned companies (the state’s share is more than 50%) that have at least five years of experience in offshore zones, “with equal competitive conditions for the provision of similar services and works. Only Rosgeologiya and Zarubezhneft fall under these criteria. Zarubezhneft has a specialized offshore service subsidiary, Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka, but it has only a drilling fleet, not a seismic survey fleet, according to the company's website.

The inclusion of such a condition in the licenses, according to the Law on Protection of Competition, is an action that leads or may lead to restriction of competition, Aksenov from Rosnedra wrote to the Ministry of Natural Resources. At the same time, on the recommendation of the Security Council, a priority has already been provided for attracting Russian contractors, taking into account their competitiveness, other things being equal, the price and quality of work, he recalls.

"Rosgeologiya" should not be considered a competent enough performer of work to conduct seismic exploration on the Arctic shelf, Leontiev told RBC. In his opinion, the company acts as an intermediary to attract the services of other contractors. He agrees with the Rosnedra official that such a clause in licenses could lead to a restriction of competition in the market. Rosneft now has the largest volume of seismic exploration on the Russian shelf, and the company would like to retain the right to attract contractors that suit it in terms of price and quality of work, he added.

The FAS representative told RBC that information about Khloponin's initiatives in the field of seismic exploration has not yet been received by the agency. He did not comment on the issue of potential restriction of competition.

Seismic survey vessels, the construction of which at domestic shipyards was approved by President Vladimir Putin, will be designed with the involvement of foreign designers, since Russian experience in this matter is insufficient. Sergey Suchkov, Deputy General Director, Managing Director of PJSC Rosgeologiya, told this to a Morvesti.Ru correspondent at the Arctic: From Forecasts to Development forum, which was held in Moscow.

Earlier it was reported that President Vladimir Putin approved the construction in Russia of two vessels for seismic exploration on the Arctic shelf for 15 billion rubles. through the budget.

“In the current conditions of the sanctions regime Russian Federation in general, it is able to provide itself with the full implementation of the volume of seismic work in 2D format due to the existing fleet and equipment in the period up to 2018, ”says a letter from Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin (who oversees issues related to mining) sent on July 12 to President Vladimir Putin.

In the 3D seismic segment, the situation is “more critical,” he warns: existing capacities can provide no more than 20% of the market. In addition, the average age of ships is 28 years, the wear and tear of the scientific fleet exceeds 80%.

“3-D seismic exploration in Russia is completely dependent on foreign companies, because the domestic fleet is too weak,” Sergey Suchukov said at the Arctic: From Forecasts to Development forum. – The fleet of seismic exploration that exists in Russia today consists of only two vessels. One is located at the Sovcomflot company, this is the Vyacheslav Tikhonov, equipped with eight streamers. This is not enough, the technology can already be considered backward, especially for extremely limited periods of work in the North. It is difficult to carry out a large exploration area on this ship in the short season that researchers have at their disposal in the Arctic. Next, there is another 3-D seismic survey vessel. This is "Academician Nemchinov", which is on the balance sheet of "Rosgeologia", and which has only four braids. Such a vessel can only carry out small volumes of seismic surveys.”

In 2005–2015, 3D seismic surveys were carried out in Russia on only 70,000 sq. m. km, which is 1.2% of the Russian continental shelf. To carry out the “required volume” of 3D seismic surveys, the Deputy Prime Minister proposes to put into operation at least two Arctic-class vessels “with predominantly domestic navigation and seismic equipment” in 2019.

“Seismic exploration carried out by foreign ships is contrary to the principle of ensuring safety, because it is a leak of data about the Russian shelf during work,” Sergey Suchkov added.

The construction of a modern vessel for 3D seismic exploration will cost about $200 million (12.5 billion rubles at the current exchange rate), Yury Ampilov, professor at the Moscow State University, Department of Seismometry and Geoacoustics, said in an interview with RBC. Due to the crisis in the world, 70% of such ships are not used, half of which were built recently. Each such vessel could be bought for about $50 million, which is four times cheaper than building a new one, he points out. But due to international sanctions, now Russia cannot buy ships equipped with specialized seismic equipment.

Seismic Survey Ship is the best seismic survey vessel in the world. Length 104.2 m, width at the stern 70 m, displacement 8000 tons, speed 16 knots, 24 winches with cables with a total length of 12 km. It tows several hundred thousand electronic sensors behind it, covering an area of ​​more than 12 square kilometers. Crew 80 Built in Japan at the Mitsubishi Nagasaki shipyard.

In 2012, the Norwegian seismic company Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) placed an order for the construction of two W-class Ramform vessels with the Japanese company Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The vessels are representatives of a new, or rather, fifth generation of the Ramform series.

The SSS Ramform class is the most powerful and efficient marine seismic survey vessel ever built. They are also the widest.

These vessels bring together advanced marine technology and GeoStreamer's marine seismic capabilities. The entire stern of the ship, 70 m wide, is occupied by 24 drums with seismic streamers. 16 of them are located on the same line, and 8 more are slightly ahead. Increased workspace and advanced equipment make ship operations safer and more functional.

For PGS and its customers, faster deployment and retrieval of equipment, as well as increased time at sea, means faster completion of seismic surveys and increased uptime in adverse weather conditions. The period between entering the shipyard for repairs has also been increased by 50%.

The vessel carries over 6,000 tons of fuel and equipment. As a rule, it tows a network of several hundred thousand seismic sensors behind it, covering an area of ​​​​more than 12 square meters. km, which is equivalent to 1,500 football fields or three and a half Central parks in NYC.

Ships of the "SSS Ramform" type provide safe and comfortable accommodation, as well as a working environment for 80 crew members. There are 60 single cabins on board, as well as 10 double cabins for visitors with separate bathrooms.

The Ramform type is characterized by an unusual delta-shaped hull in plan with a wide stern. The first vessel of this type was the long-range sonar surveillance vessel Maryata, built for the Norwegian Navy back in the 90s. The PGS engineering team notes the high level of seismic information collection of such a vessel, which is ensured by the delta-shaped hull. Vessels sail under the Flag of the Bahamas.

John Eric Reinhardsen, President and CEO of PGS, commented: “The SSS Ramform Titan takes seismic exploration to the next level. We have combined the most advanced technology with the most powerful and efficient vessel in the industry. "SSS Ramform Titan" will add to our fleet and further strengthen the company's position in the market, giving us an edge for the next 10 years."

High-resolution seismic is becoming more and more in demand due to the intensive growth of the deepwater drilling industry, especially in difficult areas such as Brazil, West Africa and the Gulf of Mexico.

A seismic vessel passes the Suez Canal.

I didn’t think, I didn’t guess, but I had a chance to visit a seismic vessel and slightly lift the veil over what and how they do. All the same, this area remained terra incognita for me, but I learned something (according to seismology, I can be wrong in the details, please don’t hit hard, but correct if anyone is in the subject).

Initially, dynamite served as a sound source for marine seismic surveys. In view of its obvious danger, later pneumatic guns were used as a source.

The accumulation of seismic data is the mapping of underwater structure in the constant search for hydrocarbons.
At first, the shape of the data was two-dimensional. The data were obtained using a single hose seismic streamer (or simply - a streamer, it is also a streamer, from the English "streamer") and one signal source.

Later, a new method for 3D mapping was developed. To do this, they strive to install as many streamers as possible, to cover a large area, as much as possible. The vessel under consideration "Vyacheslav Tikhonov" has 8 streamers for data acquisition (this is not the maximum number, there are vessels with a large number of streamers).

The data acquisition method can be compared to a very large echo sounder. The sound signal is sent by the air gun down to the seabed, and then the towed cable picks up the echoes, which are recorded.

It looks like a ship with released seismic equipment.

The length of one streamer on the ship "Vyacheslav Tikhonov" is 6,000 meters long (precisely meters, not cable and other marine units).
Putting the braids into working condition and their selection at the end of the measurements is not a quick matter, it takes several days. At the same time, as during measurements, the vessel must follow a strictly defined course at a fixed speed (in this mode, the operating speed is about 5 knots). Because it is quite difficult and tiring for a person to maintain such a clear course and speed, the ship has a dynamic positioning (DP) system that allows you to perform this task automatically. Navigators mainly monitor the navigation situation, establish communication with ships to ensure safe divergence, etc. The turning radius in survey mode is a few miles to keep the streamers from getting tangled up. The ship's heading command is given from the seismological laboratory on the ship.

Also, to ensure safe separation from other vessels, to prevent damage to towed streamers (by the way, the cost of one streamer with all the equipment is about $ 2 million) and other auxiliary tasks, two tracking vessels (in English - chase boats). There is also one support vessel for the delivery of supplies and crew, for bunkering and other support tasks. In order to successfully fulfill these tasks, the research vessel must maintain reliable and constant communication with the tracking vessels, inform them in a timely manner of its plans.

As mentioned above, turning in the survey mode is quite a challenge. With a distance between the outer streamers of 800 meters, the turning radius must be a minimum of 4,000 meters, increasing in bad weather to 5,000 meters. When turning with a radius of 5 km, the rate of turn should be 3 degrees per minute. At the same time, it should be noted that the turning trajectory is strongly influenced by weather and the state of the sea. When turning, navigators are guided by the position of paravanes - towed streamer diverters.

On the right in the photo you can see the diverter (baravan, paravane), in the first photo it can be seen fixed on board.

In the survey mode, it is necessary to watch for other vessels and ask them to leave the area, not only because of the threat of a collision or damage to the streamers. With the close passage of another vessel, especially a large one, the quality of measurements is lost, because the integrity of the sound source is violated. Therefore, if it is not possible to reach an agreement with another vessel for any reason regarding the separation 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 contact time in order to save time for measurements.
It was noted that when passing offshore terminals where large tankers with a dynamic positioning system are loaded, even at a distance of 12 miles, the measurements will be actually destroyed, and you will have to make a second call when the tanker moves away from the berth.

If there is another seismological vessel in the area, then its operation may affect the operation of our vessel at a distance of about 80 miles. Therefore, in such cases, in order not to interfere with each other's work, they agree on a measurement schedule. For example, there were cases when 8 vessels were operating simultaneously in the North Sea.

According to project developer Ulstein, the hull shape patented as the Ulstein X-Bow, combined with a diesel-electric propulsion system, provides exceptional fuel efficiency, seaworthiness and speed. However, despite the commercial on youtube (comparative race of two boats in stormy conditions), the use of the concept here does not seem entirely justified. I proceed from a purely practical assessment and my vision, purely IMHO. Namely: my very meager knowledge of hull hydrodynamics tells me that the contours will work at speeds close to full, but in any way above average. The operating speed of this vessel in the measurement mode (the main purpose of the vessel) is 4-5 knots.
During my presence on board, at a speed of 4.5 knots, it swayed rather unpleasantly up to 5 degrees of heel, with very light seas and a wind of 7 m / s. The crew said that when working in the profile (taking measurements), with the equipment overboard, the wave hit the nose from below with the nose thrown up, with all the "ensuing" consequences for the least sea-resistant crew members.

The rowing plant includes two controllable pitch propellers (CPP). Each propeller is driven by a 4,800 kW asynchronous motor controlled by a water-cooled frequency converter. The transmission of rotation to the screw is carried out through a gearbox.

The vessel is equipped with bow and stern tunnel thrusters, as well as a retractable azimuth thruster (Compass Thruster) in the bow.

Vessel length 84 m, beam 17 m, maximum draft 6 m. Deadweight at maximum draft is 2,250 tons.
According to the specification, the ship's speed at 100% load on each screw, with a clean hull and calm water, should be approximately 18.5 knots.

The support vessel performs a rendezvous maneuver.

A support vessel is moored for bunkering operations while under way.

As soon as I choose a free minute to sort out the photos, I will make a photo tour of the ship.

Note. These photographs were obtained from the crew.