Friday 3 June, Fugro Subsea Services mobilised the RRS Ernest Shackleton in Aberdeen for a season of inspection projects in the North Sea. The program will include both pipelines and fixed structures inspections for a number of Fugro Subsea Services North Sea clients.
Project Manager Jim Taylor was quick to heap praise on offshore vessel managers Bill Mair and George McKenzie who carried out a perfect mobilisation with no flaws or time loss. A total of 3 ROVs were mobilised; a work-class Triton (XL26) and two Tigers (55 and 58). In addition to this a complete IT hub was installed for survey reporting, 2 water jet units and an FMD unit. The crew comprises of 25 ships crew, 19 Fugro personnel, 3 client Reps and 3 equipment support technicians.
The Ernest Shackleton will be fully employed until the end of the summer where after she is expected to return to the Antarctic for annual commitment to the British Antarctic Survey. The RRS Ernest Shackleton was built by Kverner Klevin Leirvik A/S, Norway as the MV Polar Queen for the Rieber Shipping of Bergen in 1995. She was deployed in the Antarctic by others before being acquired by The British Antarctic Survey in August 1999. The vessel was renamed RRS Ernest Shackleton after Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famed Polar Explorer.