Offshore staff

(Netherlands)-Bluewater Energy Services B.V. has purchased the tanker MT Hanne Knutsen from Knutsen OAS Shipping AS for an undisclosed amount. The vessel, designed as a North Sea shuttle tanker, has a storage capacity of 860,000 bbl of cargo, and is a sister vessel of the Aasgaard C FSO.

Since 2000, Knutsen OAS Shipping has employed the vessel as a shuttle tanker in Baltic ice regions. Its hull structure is particularly well-suited to working in this environment, as Knutsen reports that the hull is considerably stronger than that of standard tankers and is rated Ice Class 1A, which is considered ideal for harsh environments.

The Hanne Knutsen is a 264.7-m long, 42.5-m wide, 22.0-m deep vessel that is additionally equipped with a DP2 class dynamic positioning capability with bow and stern thrusters and two main propellers combined with special rudders. The ship has two large, 8 MW generators that are driven by the two main diesel engines, which can be used as electric power generation for future FPSO operations, according to Bluewater.