SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) is bout to acquire new vessels to support its offshore sea operations, a source in SOCAR told Trend today.
At present, some of SOCAR`s vessels have become obsolete, and as a result of it, the Company has lost some positions in offshore operations where it has taken one of the leading places.
SOCAR`s Caspian Sea Oil Fleet Department, supporting SOCAR`s oil and gas operations, has prepared a requirements specification on the shipbuilding of 10 new vessels of different types. The process is implemented within the implementation of the State Program Azerbaijan`s Fuel and Energy Complex Development for 2005-2015.
In addition, SOCAR has launched works on the reconstruction and modernization of the crane ship Gourban Abbasov used in support to offshore oil and gas operations. The vessel`s capacity is to raise a load of 600 tons. The vessel was sent to repair 14 years ago, but direct reconstruction works has launched only this year.
At present, the Production Association uses 186 vessels, with 20 out of them operating within the projects on the development of the fields Azeri-Chiragh-Gunashli.