Norwegian operator Aker BP has received approval from the country’s offshore safety regulator to deploy two of Island Offshore’s mobile offshore units across its operated fields on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
According to the Norwegian Ocean Industry Authority (Havtil), the consent covers the use of the Island Constructor and Island Wellserver vessels for riserless light well intervention (RLWI) activities on all of Aker BP’s production licences, as mention in Offshore Energy.
The Island Constructor, delivered in 2008 and built to the Ulstein SX 121 design, is a multi-purpose offshore vessel with accommodation for 90 personnel. The unit has been cleared for Norwegian operations since obtaining its Acknowledgement of Compliance (AoC) from the Petroleum Safety Authority in April 2010.
Its sister vessel, the Island Wellserver, also delivered in 2008, is equipped to carry out a wide range of subsea and intervention tasks. These include light well intervention, construction and installation work, well securing, trenching, tower and module handling, plug and abandonment (P&A), crane operations, inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR), supply duties and X-tree installation. The 116-metre vessel remains a core asset for Island Offshore’s well intervention campaigns.
Island Offshore previously secured a two-year extension for Island Wellserver in May 2023 for continued light well intervention work on the NCS, with additional options for further activity. The Island Constructor received a separate consent in 2023 allowing RLWI operations without risers on production licences 359, 338 C and 028 B.
The company is also enhancing its fleet to support future demand. VARD recently marked the keel-laying of Island Offshore’s second hybrid-powered ocean energy construction vessel, underscoring the firm’s ongoing investment in next-generation offshore capabilities.
