DESIRE FOR SAFE ANCHOR
HANDLING SOLUTIONS

ODIM’s Sales Manager for offshore supply, Andreas Kjøl, is busy these days. The large number of new contracts and the desire for safer, improved solutions for anchor handling has resulted in a stream of enquiries.

“ODIM has positioned itself to be a supplier of total concepts in the field of anchor handling. Our solutions make working on deck safer during hazardous operations, and this is of prime importance to both the vessel owners, oil companies and rig owners who charter the vessels,” explains Kjøl, who has been Sales Manager for Offshore Supply since January 2007.

EXPERIENCED SEAMAN

He has personal experience of the challenges facing the ship owners and crews in connection with anchor handling and other demanding and hazardous operations. He sailed for almost ten years as skipper and first mate onboard vessels owned by Viking Supply Ships.

“I started my career at sea onboard fishing boats in the family business” he tells us. “As time passed I took my Captain’s Certificate at the University College in Ålesund, and got a job as First Mate with Viking Supply Ships.

By 1998 working ashore started to appeal, and Andreas Kjøl took a position with the ships electronics company Furuno where he worked for two years.
“After that I returned to Viking again, where I worked as First Mate and Captain on Viking’s combined anchor-handling and icebreaker vessels.

TEAMWORK

“Because I’m familiar with the challenges facing the crews on a day-to-day basis, it’s naturally enough easier for me to understand the input we receive and put this before the product developers here in ODIM,” he says, and adds that new, first class solutions must be the result of teamwork involving the crews, ship owners, oil companies and suppliers.

ODIM has developed a wide range of new products for anchor handling vessels in recent years, and we have received a large volume of orders from many of the largest operators in the industry for many of these products.

Here are some of the products that Andreas will now be selling to the shipowners:

ODIM AHF™: Anchor Handling Frame is an A frame that reduces the forces in play when the anchor is to be winched in over the stern roller. To date the solution has been sold to 10 vessels.

ODIM AHF™ is a further development of ODIM ARF™ (Anchor Recovery Frame) and integrates the stern roller in the special A frame. Shipowners have shown great interest in the new solution.

ODIM SAHS™: ODIM Safe Anchor Handling Systems is the group name for ODIM’s deck solutions that are designed to reduce risks associated with anchor handling. With an innovative stern ramp and mobile cranes on the vessel’s cargo rails, the “Bourbon Orca” was the first vessel to be outfitted with such cranes. The delivery was made to Bourbon Offshore in 2006. All products for anchor handling are in the SAHS category, and the next step is a crew-free deck.

ODIM integrated shark jaws and towing pins: The development of totally new solutions for these key tools in connection with anchor handling is in the final stages. Ship owners have shown a great deal of interest in the new solutions.

ODIM AHT winches: ODIM has developed complete anchor handling winches with capacities up to 400 tonnes. 250 and 300 tonne winches have been sold for installation in 10 vessels under construction in Asia and 2 vessels under construction in Poland.

ODIM ABCS™: Is an automated solution for receiving and coupling bulk hoses from platforms. The first DOF-owned vessel to be equipped with this solution will be delivered by the shipyard this year.

“We are also working on a number of other concepts and we receive many queries from ship owners who are seeking new and improved solutions,” explains Andreas Kjøl. “The sector we are engaged in is experiencing a golden age, many new vessels are being built, and even though it’s traditionally a conservative sector where the owners prefer to stick with the familiar and tried and tested, we are experiencing a very high level of interest in our innovative solutions”, he points out.