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Offshore

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.

Hugo Heerema, president of Bluewater Energy Services B.V. said of the purchase: "In today's FPSO market it is a pre-requisite to have guaranteed access to a suitable vessel to be considered as a serious bidder. We have already named this vessel as a candidate in several bids that are under evaluation by our clients."

Heerema added, "We have chosen this vessel specifically for its overall solid design and its excellent suitability for future FPSO conversion projects in harsh environments such as Norway and the US Gulf."

Bluewater is expected to take possession of the vessel on or before June 30, 2006.

04/20/2006