We all have been reading about all the fancy newbuilds for the OSV companies and Construction vessels. What about any newbuilds in the Utility boat, small crew boat and mini supply boat section? I think many of us had our first seagoing jobs on Utilities and Crewboats but I have seen none built. Did I just miss them in the yards? I know Seacor is building a monster crewboat.
I am pretty sure the utility boat I worked on in 1981 is still carting stuff. Most are ancient. Do these boats serve a purpose anymore and being phased out? Has anyone seen any being constructed?
Guess they are mostly just “upgraded”.
I know alot of the new drilling is deep water, but plenty is still near coastal.
Or are the companies just into, “look at mine, it is fancy and big”. Thanks
These guys have been building a few
[QUOTE=Doodlebug;129630]We all have been reading about all the fancy newbuilds for the OSV companies and Construction vessels. What about any newbuilds in the Utility boat, small crew boat and mini supply boat section? I think many of us had our first seagoing jobs on Utilities and Crewboats but I have seen none built. Did I just miss them in the yards? I know Seacor is building a monster crewboat.
I am pretty sure the utility boat I worked on in 1981 is still carting stuff. Most are ancient. Do these boats serve a purpose anymore and being phased out? Has anyone seen any being constructed?
Guess they are mostly just “upgraded”.
I know alot of the new drilling is deep water, but plenty is still near coastal.
Or are the companies just into, “look at mine, it is fancy and big”. Thanks[/QUOTE]
Its too costly to try and build a utility boat that will only yield $2,500-3,200/day. The old utility boats are still necessary for shelf production platforms. They’re economical for the oil company and for most vessel operators if they are paid for. The amount of drilling on the shelf has seen a significant decrease over the last several years so new boats for that market just don’t make sense.