Fugro platform supplier to take on geotechnical drilling following conversion

Remontowa Shipbuilding in Poland has completed conversion work on a platform supply vessel (PSV) to enable it to be used for geotechnical drilling.

The Fugro-operated, 88-metre PSV Fugro Zephyr was originally built in China in 2019 and previously sailed under the name Sea Goldcrest. The conversion was done in anticipation of growing worldwide demand for geotechnical drilling vessels.

The conversion entailed installation of a new moonpool, a laboratory and a mezzanine deck that features a 40-metre drilling rig; and the incorporation of additional space in the wheelhouse to accommodate the control station for the drilling rig. In the final configuration, the drilling rig can be lowered into the water via the moonpool.

One of the PSV's two existing silos that was originally used for transporting bulk cargo to offshore platforms has been reconstructed to enable it to function as a liquid mud tank with multiple compartments. The other silo was meanwhile converted into a dedicated pumping station.

Other upgrades include complete renovations of the galley and the mess; rearrangement of the deck offices to be used by embarked scientists; and installation of new phone lines, fire detectors and loudspeakers.