Established in 1997 as the vessel owning and operating branch of the United Arab Emirates-based Stanford Marine Group, Stanford Marine is in the midst of a major fleet expansion. In 2009 the firm acquired five vessels and acquired a company that had ten vessels on order including six new 58-metre off shore supply vessels. This brought the fleet to nearly 40 vessels and expanded the company's operational area to include Southeast Asia.
The six 58-metre offshore supply vessels are being built at China's Fujian Mawi Shipbuilding. The first of these vessels, delivered in late 2010, was the 'Stanford Kite'. The 'Stanford Condor' and 'Stanford Osprey' followed in February 2011. The other three sister vessels, the 'Stanford Caracara', 'Stanford Goshawk' and 'Stanford Saker', will be delivered over the second and third quarters of 2011.
These are versatile vessels, described by the owners as multi-purpose supply vessels, capable of transporting 162 cubic metres of liquid mud, 187 cubic metres of bulk cement, 369 cubic metres of water ballast/drill water, 458 cubic metres of fuel oil and 196 cubic metres of potable water. Liquid discharge rates with a 75-metre head include 150 cubic metres per hour for fuel oil, 100 cubic metres per hour for both fresh and drill water. Two pumps can offload 75 cubic metres per hour of liquid mud while bulk cement is discharged at 13 cubic metres per minute from two 80psi pumps.
With a 5.5-metre moulded depth the hull has a 13.8-metre moulded beam making possible a 376 square metre cargo deck with a 500-tonne capacity. Accommodation for up to 50 workers and crew is provided in a range of single, two bunk and four bunk cabins.
The engine room includes an impressive suite of Cummins engines. These include three Cummins KTA19-M diesels to power the three 350kW main generators, one Cummins 70kW emergency genset, and one Cummins KTA38-M1 delivering 746kW at 1,800RPM to power an extensive Fi-Fi system. The system has the capacity to throw water 120 metres at a height of 45 metres above sea level from two monitors each capable of delivering 1,500 cubic metres of water per hour. One monitor is also fitted with a double barrel for foam discharge. In the event of fire fighting, the hull and deckhouse are protected by a water spray curtain.
Main propulsion is provided by a pair of Cummins QSK60-Ms each delivering 1,640kW at 1,600RPM. The engines drive fixed pitch propellers in 360-degree Schottel SRP 1212FP azimuthing drives. Manoeuvrability is further enhanced by a 500kW Schottel tunnel thruster.
The addition of these six DP platform supply vessels will consolidate Stanford Marine's position in the offshore industry.