Vessels

Utility boats (mini-supply vessels) are typically used to support production operations, providing storage space, emergency standby, and transporting personnel between platforms. Utility boats are well suited to support smaller, near-shore production facilities. Ninety-six to 175' long, utility vessels may have below deck cargo space along with a flat rear cargo area of several hundred tons capacity and smaller passenger area for up to 36 offshore workers.

Tugs are the tow trucks of the offshore support vessel fleet. These steel-hulled vessels can be 70' to 140' long. Small in stature when compared to large supply boats, they are packed with powerful engines to tow and position non-self-propelled offshore equipment such as mobile offshore drilling units, barges and production platforms.

These rectangular vessels are built with large, flat deck areas designed to economically carry the largest and heaviest offshore facility and pipeline components. Barges are not self-propelled and require a towing vessel to move them. They range in size from 300' to over 800' in length and may carry loads of over 12,000 tons.

Supply boats are the delivery trucks of the offshore world. Powerful and designed to maximize cargo capacity, they are capable of transporting almost everything used on offshore facilities, from drill pipe and drinking water to diesel fuel and repair parts. They deliver tons of supplies up to 200 miles offshore and are built to work in all but the worst weather conditions. They range from 150' to as much as 350' in length and can carry up to 36 offshore workers as well.

Liftboats are specifically designed to operate in relatively shallow water. They are characterized by three elevating legs that may be up to 260' long and a large work area that can hold up to 300 tons of oilfield service equipment and up to three cranes. With the legs lowered and the hull lifted from the water, the vessel becomes a stable platform for a wide variety of jobs, from maintenance on oil and gas production platforms to laying underwater pipelines. Liftboats may also house up to 40 workers.

Crewboats (fast supply vessels) are the shuttle buses of the offshore oil industry, carrying workers to and from offshore facilities. A typical crewboat can carry 36 to 149 offshore workers. These light, powerful vessels are often aluminum and can travel at up to 35 knots. They range from 110' to 220' in length, and newer crewboats are often built to carry limited amounts of cargo on a just-in-time basis.