Aker BP enters contract for Walk-to-Work vessel

Moscow, May 12 - Neftegaz.RU. Aker BP has entered into a charter contract with Olympic for a Walk-to-Work (W2W) vessel for the Munin licence in the Yggdrasil area. The contract is valid for five years, with options for an additional five years.

The vessel Olympic Notos will go on contract for Aker BP starting early 2026.
It will first be used in the hook-up phase of the Aker BP-operated Fenris platform from the summer of 2026, before going into continuous operations in the Yggdrasil area from the fourth quarter that same year.

Kristian Bay Næss, VP Operations Yggdrasil said:

• through Yggdrasil, Aker BP is setting a new standard with remote-controlled operations, periodically unmanned and unmanned platforms, low offshore activity levels, and new ways of working;
• Munin, which is an unmanned production platform, is central in this operations strategy;
• the platform is designed without a helideck, living quarters, and lifeboats, and we will only visit Munin through planned campaigns;
• now we have secured a solid W2W vessel that will contribute to the efficient start-up and operation of the platform.

Specialized Service Vessel

Walk-to-Work means that offshore personnel live on the vessel and board the installation to work via a gangway.
For unmanned installations, such as Munin and Fenris, the gangway will be connected to the installation as long as personnel are on board the platform.
W2W will also function as the primary escape route.

Bay Næss said:

• W2W is a prerequisite for us to deliver on the operations strategy;
• it means that we will plan work onshore, so that the time we spend offshore is efficient.

The contract with Olympic is the first Aker BP has entered for a W2W vessel.
The company has chosen to go for a specialized service vessel, a so-called CSOV (Commissioning Service Operation Vessel).

Bay Næss said:

• Olympic has experience from both international and Norwegian oil and gas operations, in addition to Walk-to-Work solutions;
• the vessel Olympic Notos has good marine properties, operational limits, and will be a good place to live and work from when we are offshore at Munin.

In August last year, Aker BP signed a contract for the delivery of a gangway with the Dutch company SMST.
The gangway is designed to meet the specifications for unmanned installations like Munin and Fenris.
It will be delivered in early 2026 and be installed on the vessel.
Additionally, the W2W vessel can also be used for normally unmanned installations like Hugin B, through a short-term bumper connection to transfer personnel to and from the platforms.