Tidewater orders four Rolls-Royce designed offshore vessels

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, today announced that it has won an order to provide the design, propulsion systems and deck machinery for four deep water platform supply vessels. The order from Tidewater is worth over £20 million to Rolls-Royce.

Tidewater is the largest provider of ships serving the global offshore oil and gas industry and has a fleet of around 400 vessels.

Jeff Platt, Chief Operations Officer of Tidewater Inc. added: “We are very pleased to announce the construction of these UT 755CDL-designed vessels as part of our continued effort to provide our customers with the latest technology in offshore marine assets, capable of operating on a worldwide basis.”

Per Kristian Furø, Rolls-Royce, Sales Manager - Ship Technology Offshore, said: “We are extremely proud to continue our strong relationship with Tidewater. Their selection of Rolls-Royce designed vessels demonstrates continued trust in our ability to meet the specific needs of the demanding deep water oil and gas industry.”

The propulsion system used on the Rolls-Royce designed UT 755 CDL will include Rolls-Royce Azipull azimuth thrusters with pulling propellers for increased efficiency. This marks the first time these propulsors have been selected for this particular vessel type. Rolls-Royce will also supply the power electric system, the deck machinery and the high speed diesel generator sets.

The vessels will feature a diesel-electric propulsion system that meets current Clean Design standards – an industry-specific range of stringent environmental and safety requirements. The vessel design places a premium on crew comfort and minimising noise and vibration.

The vessels will be built at the Drydocks World shipyard in Indonesia, with delivery scheduled for 2012. There are options for a further four vessels of the same type.

The UT 755 CDL is designed specifically for supplying equipment to deepwater oil and gas platforms. Rolls-Royce has the broadest portfolio of mission critical equipment and systems in the offshore sector and offers an extensive range of ship design packages.

More than 650 Rolls-Royce designed UT vessels are already in service around the world.

1. Rolls-Royce, a world leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, has established a strong position in global markets – civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce today has a broad customer base comprising more than 600 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 3,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines.
3. Rolls-Royce employs 39,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in 50 countries. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment, and to further developing employee skills.
4. In 2009, Rolls-Royce invested £864m on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental aspects of its products, in particular the reduction of emissions.
5. Annual underlying revenues were £10.1bn in 2009, of which about half came from services revenues. The firm and announced order book stood at £58.4bn at 30 June 2010, providing visibility of future levels of activity.
6. The Marine business of Rolls-Royce employs 8,000 people in 34 countries with the main manufacturing centres being in the UK, the Nordic countries, the United States and increasingly Asia.
7. Rolls-Royce is a world leader in marine solutions, providing products, service and expertise to more than 30,000 vessels in the offshore, merchant, naval surface and submarine markets. It designs ships and its product range includes propulsion systems featuring diesel engines and gas turbines, propellers, thrusters and water jets. Rolls-Royce also provides manoeuvring and stabilising systems and deck machinery .