VESSEL REVIEW | Bhagwan Micah – Versatile landing vessel outfitted for offshore decommissioning

Western Australia-based offshore support specialist Bhagwan Marine recently welcomed a new stern landing vessel (SLV) to its fleet.

Bhagwan Marine said Bhagwan Micah was designed from the outset to support modern offshore energy and subsea operations, particularly oil and gas decommissioning with the ability to work in shallow water environments. The vessel will also be deployed for subsea inspection, maintenance and repair as well as defence logistics projects.

The company said the SLV design provides a number of benefits including: safer, more efficient seagoing capabilities and cargo deliveries; improved manoeuvrability in shallow, remote or constrained areas; and greater efficiency and shorter turnaround times.

Significant transport capacity

The vessel has been secured under a five-year bareboat charter from BM Fleet. She will be operated out of Brisbane throughout the charter period.

Bhagwan Micah was named after the late Micah Kirk, a former Bhagwan Marine employee who had supported the company's Melbourne operations. The final stages of her construction were undertaken at local shipbuilder the Yard Brisbane.

The SLV has an LOA of 38.62 metres (126.7 feet), a moulded beam of 12.8 metres (42 feet), a design draught of only 1.9 metres (6.2 feet), a moulded depth of three metres (9.8 feet), a gross tonnage of approximately 457, accommodation for up to 19 crewmembers, and a capacity of 150 tons of cargo, all carried on an open deck with a total area of 150 square metres (1,600 square feet).

Heavy duty propulsion for demanding offshore deployments

Four Cummins QSM11 engines that each produce 300 kW (400 hp) will deliver a service speed of 10 knots. The rest of the propulsion arrangement includes two Cummins QSB7 108kW generators, a 40kW emergency generator, and a 65kW electrically driven bow thruster. The engines and the generators are all fitted with keel coolers while the emergency generator is air-cooled.

The accommodation spaces include three single-berth and eight double cabins. Tank capacities meanwhile are 90 cubic metres (20,000 gallons), 55 cubic metres (12,000 gallons) and five cubic metres (1,000 gallons) for fuel oil, freshwater and blackwater, respectively.

The SLV is also equipped with nine bilge pumps, two fire pumps, a fuel transfer pump, a cargo fuel pump, and a water cargo pump.

Full range of electronics and safety equipment

The electronics suite includes radars, echosounders, two satellite compasses, a plotter, VHF radios, a PA system, an EPIRB, two plotters, and satellite communications equipment from Starlink.

Onboard space is available for a rescue boat that can accommodate five people, two 25-person liferafts, 25 lifejackets, hand flares, orange smoke signals, parachute distress rockets, and a rope ladder for water rescues.