On 4th January 2022, Sentinel Marine took delivery of the company’s 10th newbuild Emergency Response & Rescue Vessel (ERRV) over a period of 7 years in the form of the 2,030gt and 60m long Cromarty Sentinel. Sentinel Marine arrived on the Offshore Shipping scene in 2011 when an office was established in Singapore and Marine Architect Khiam Chuan Marine designed 59.25m long/62t bollard pull Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessels (AHTS) were speculatively ordered on 25th July 2011 from Nam Cheong, and built at the Fujian South East Shipyard, with the aim of building up and operating a fleet in Asia. Whilst in build, these ships were subsequently sold to a company with an urgent need for such tonnage. Their names were to have been Able Sentinel, Daring Sentinel and Epic Sentinel. The company steadily developed and, in late 2012, the decision was taken to enter the North Sea market with a new Aberdeen office being established, and registered from 10th April 2013.

Just prior to this, the company’s first PSV, Hull 487E, was launched on 28th March 2013. The Aberdeen base primarily looks after the ERRV business in the North Sea whilst the Singapore office is responsible for all new builds (ordering the vessels, supervision during construction and sale and purchase of vessels as and when required). Ultimately the company can trace its roots back to Nomis Shipping, founded by Sentinel Marine Group’s CEO Rory Deans and his father, Frank, in 1989. When the Aberdeen base was set up, the market in the North Sea was buoyant and in particular the Emergency Recovery & Rescue Vessel (ERRV) fleet at that time consisted of a significantly high proportion of older vessels. It was decided to expand the UK operation by way of an order for 8 ERRVs to provide a suitably backed-up service to clients. A charter fleet of ERRVs (known previously as standby vessels) needs a relief vessel in order to provide a year-round service to customers. This permits each ship to be relieved, allowing them to return to port to change crews and replenish on-board supplies in rotation. The basic requirements for an ERRV in the North Sea are quite high. The UKCS has the highest requirements and standards of all the North Sea sectors. A standard vessel must be able to rescue and accommodate up to 300 people. The new fleet members were also designed to perform emergency towing and are equipped with dynamic positioning systems. In partnership with Maas Capital Investments, an investment fund of ABN AMRO Group with a focus on the offshore oil and gas industry, the first four ERRVs were ordered on 18th May 2013 with an option for a further four as part of what would become a 3-phase project costing around £186 million. The steel cutting for the first 61m ERRV (Hull SK85) took place at the Fujian Southeast Shipyard in China on 17th July 2013 and the 1,944gt Cygnus Sentinel (originally intended to be Cromarty Sentinel) was born with her keel laying following on 6th May 2014. Launch day was on 23rd August 2014 and the keel laying for Hull SK87 (Lundy Sentinel) followed four days later. The Fastnet Sentinel (Hull SK86) was launched on 29th September 2014 at the same yard followed by the Lundy Sentinel (Hull SK87) on 22nd December 2014. Interestingly, it was Hull SK87 that was delivered first on 13th January 2015, the Fastnet Sentinel, and deployed to the Falkland Islands. The rest as they say, is history with the Cygnus Sentinel (Hull SK85) and Lundy Sentinel (Hull SK87) being the second and third deliveries. The other member of the initial order was the Forties Sentinel. When the fleet of 8 ERRVs was ordered for the Aberdeen base there were around 125 ERRVs already at work in the North Sea with 60% of these being in excess of 40 years old or more. Most operators already had age stipulations with regard to the AHTS and PSV vessels being chartered and this routine was extended to ERRVs. Fuel consumption and emissions were lower and reliability was higher on Sentinel’s new offering of ERRVs, which placed the company at an advantage over competitors. Reliability is of huge importance because, if an ERRV suffers a failure, its associated oil or gas platform may have to cease production until the issue is resolved. Such a halt in output could cost in excess of $500,000 per day. ERRVs tend to be unique to the North Sea and on 28th January 2014 came the news that Sentinel Marine Ltd. had ordered the optional quartet of ERRVs, but to a revised 62m long Focal 531 Multi-Role design. The keel was laid for Hull SK96 Portland Sentinel, the first 62m ERRV, on 28th February 2015 at the Cosco Shipyard in Guangdong, China. She was launched 5th October 2015 and delivered 15th July 2016. Hull SK97, the Biscay Sentinel, was launched on the 12th April 2016 at the Cosco Dalian Yard. The keel of Hull SK98/N534 (Bailey Sentinel) was laid on 28th October with hull no. SK99/N535 Malin Sentinel launched 6th July 2017. The Biscay and Bailey were delivered in 2018 but the 8th sistership, the 2,173gt Malin Sentinel, lagged behind her sisters and joined the fleet on 23rd June 2020. The delayed completion of the second series was in part due to the addition of a 65m Tanker Assist ERRV variant, the 2,667gt Mariner Sentinel, constructed after the Portland Sentinel to meet a specific charter requirement and delivered on 2nd May 2017. The latter vessel brought the newbuild tally to nine.

Phase 3

A new third phase of the fleet investment programme was announced in January 2019 in the form of a further trio of ERRVs at a cost of £36m, thus pushing the previous £150 million expenditure on the fleet up to around £186 million. To accompany this expansion, 24 new jobs were created, raising the company’s headcount to 300. The quest for new ships in 2015 will, Covid-19 disruption permitting, produce a dozen deliveries in an impressive timescale. The latter deliveries were originally expected by late 2020 but, naturally, the pandemic dictated otherwise. These new 60m long enhanced versions of the other ERRVs in the fleet would take the names Cromarty Sentinel, Trafalgar Sentinel, and Viking Sentinel. The third ERRV order was placed with the Fujian Southeast Shipyard in Fuzhou, China. Established in 1956 for trawler shipbuilding, the Southeast shipyard initiated the construction of oil tankers in the early 1990s and since then has gradually edged into the offshore support vessel shipbuilding sector to the extent that the yard is now an established player for OSV construction and has a proven track record over the years. To date, well in excess of 150 AHTS newbuilds of 59m or more have been delivered plus over thirty 75m/78m and 78m examples of AHTS & PSV. The yard has also completed 85m Subsea Support/Maintenance Vessels among other examples. The original contract date for the Cromarty Sentinel is shown as 7th June 2013, the steel cutting took place on 10th January 2014 and the keel laying followed on 15th November 2014. Launch date is given as 16th July 2015 but the delivery was 6.5 years later on 4th January 2022. Perhaps the hull was built for stock and completed at a later date. Readers may well have noticed that the naming policy for the Sentinel Marine newbuilds is taken from the 31 regions of the UK shipping forecast. These are Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire, Forties, Cromarty, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Fisher, German Bight, Humber, Thames, Dover, Wight, Portland, Plymouth, Biscay, Trafalgar, FitzRoy, Sole, Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea, Shannon, Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, Fair Isle, Faeroes and Southeast Iceland. The shipping forecast dates back to October 1859 when the steam clipper Royal Charter was wrecked in a strong storm off Anglesey and 450 people lost their lives. Due to this tragedy, Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy introduced a warning service for shipping in February 1861, using telegraph communications. This remained the responsibility of the UK’s Met Office for some time and, in 1911, the Met. Office began issuing marine weather forecasts which included gale and storm warnings via radio transmission for areas around Great Britain. This practise has continued almost daily ever since, except for the two World Wars. The areas have been revised on occasions over the years including Finistere being renamed FitzRoy.

The North Sea ERRV Cromarty Sentinel is a modified, refined yet slightly smaller version of the 61m, 62m and 65m long examples already built for Sentinel Marine and her delivery marked a major milestone for reasons mentioned earlier. The robustly designed newbuild has a deadweight of 1,723dwt, a net tonnage of 609, an overall length of 60m, a length of 55.59m between perpendiculars, a beam of 15.80m and a maximum draught of 5.20m. The freeboard is 1,312mm. The aft main deck offers a clear working/freight area of 300m2 (23.1m x 13m) with a deck load of 7 tonnes per m2. Up to 500 tonnes of deck cargo can be carried. At Below Deck level are five cargo tanks for 377.5m3 of Mud/Brine/Recovered Oil with the Water Ballast tanks also available to store 700m3 of Drill Water. There are four Cement Tanks (4x 42.5m3), a 14m3 fire fighting foam tank and a 14m3 detergent tank for anti-pollution duties. Dry bulk cargoes are also catered for. The Drill Water cargo can be unloaded via a 100m3/hour @ 75m head pump, mud cargo can be dispensed with via two 75m3/hour @ 75m head pumps whilst some dry cargoes can be offloaded via two 13m3/min @ 80psi air compressors. On the Upper Forecastle Deck, aft of the bridge, can be found a Palfinger telescopic crane with a capacity at a 14m outreach of 3 tonnes. At Forecastle Deck level, on either side of the crane’s position, is a small deck area where the 15-man FRSQ 1000A Daughter Craft and a 15-man FRSQ 700A Fast Rescue Craft are stowed plus a rescue basket for survivor recovery. The electro-hydraulic crane is used to launch these craft as well as work the cargo deck. The Cromarty Sentinel is equipped with two 6-cylinder/1,471Kw @ 750rpm Niigata Power Systems Co. Ltd. 6L26HLX diesel engines. Each unit has a cylinder bore of 260mm and a piston stroke of 350mm. The engines are connected to twin gearboxes (details not supplied but the 62m vessels were fitted with Reintjes Gmbh LAF 3455 K41A gearboxes with integral hydraulically operated multiple disc friction clutches and a maximum continuous rating of 3,000kW). Two main engines and gearboxes are installed for redundancy purposes thus providing the ships with a high level of reliability. The machinery spaces control room is located on a Tweendeck forward of the main engine compartment at Below Deck level. Propulsion is provided via twin ducted azimuth steering-propellers with alternative propulsion available via a retractable 680hp ducted azimuth propeller in the bow. A single 700hp Transverse Tunnel Thruster is also fitted in the bow. The retractable unit, bow thruster and ducted azimuth propellers are engaged in Dynamic Positioning (DP2), the class system for which is supplied by Kongsberg. Fuel consumption is 12t per day at 14 knots, 6.8 tonnes per day at 10 knots and 0.85 tonnes per day whilst in standby mode using Dynamic Positioning and the azimuth thruster. The vessel also has a bollard pull capability of 30 tonnes @ FOS 5:1 for rescue towing duties. Eleven fuel tanks are fitted for a capacity of 615.59m3 plus 6 fresh water tanks (371.80m3) and 11 ballast tanks (702m3). Onboard power is supplied via two 350Kw Caterpillar C18, 415V/3pH/50Hz main generators, two Leroy-Somer Electro-Technique (Fuzhou) Co. Ltd. LSAM50.2M6 shaft generators (800Kw each) plus a 99Kw 415/3pH/50Hz emergency generator. To perform rescue and anti-pollution duties, an Anti Pendulum, constant tension, shock absorber with integrated towing boom is fitted for use with a 1500 (1x100m, 2x50m) Ro Boom, a Dacon Scoop rescue device, two 5-man Rescue Zone Scrample Nets and a 6-man Rescue Basket. The Survivor Areas onboard are fitted out to UK, Danish & Dutch guidelines with a fully functional Treatment Room on the main deck (starboard side), a Hypothermia Bath and an adjoining 26-bed recovery area whilst above on the Forecastle Deck is a 56-seat Survivor Lounge.

Designated sanitary areas are also provided. These facilities are required in the event of the need to rescue personnel from a working oil or gas platform, not to mention another offshore vessel. Helicopter winch areas for casualty/crew transfer purposes are located forward of the wheelhouse on the Bridge Deck and on the aft section of the cargo deck. The vessel’s accommodation is spread over four decks in the forward section of the ship and includes facilities on the Main Deck level that include 11 toilet cubicles, 13 shower cubicles (for survivor use), food stores and an office. In the forward section of the deckhouse on this level can be found a laundry, air conditioning room, galley, 25-seat Mess Room and a Recreation Room with seating and coffee tables. Up one level on the Forecastle Deck can be found accommodation for four crewmembers (two twin cabins) plus four 4-berth cabins for other personnel. This deck also has a changing room for the crewmembers, and a morgue. The Sentinel Marine newbuilds offer, unlike some of the older ships, the option of single cabins and single bathrooms. The Upper Forecastle Deck contains further crew and officer cabins/day facilities for 11 persons. In total there are 7 single cabins and 2 twin cabins. All cabins are provided with en-suite facilities, internet connections and satellite TV. Additional crew amenities include a gym (for 3 persons at a time) and a sauna. The uppermost deck is the Navigation Deck with 360-degree visibility. The funnel casings are located within the bridge on either side. In addition to their main role of protecting offshore workers, the ships can perform other tasks such as oil recovery, firefighting (two monitors atop the bridge with a capacity of 1,200m3 per hour @ 12 bar @ 120m throw are fitted) and towing. Deck equipment includes two 10 tonne Tugger Winches (@ 15m/min) plus two 5 tonne Capstans @ 15m/min. In terms of anti-pollution duties, the oil recovery equipment includes storage tanks for 25-300m3 of recovered oil, a 5m3 tank of Slickgone NS Type 3 dispersant and four spray nozzles connected to a 133 litres per minute displacement pump. A Desmi Terminator Skimmer with light/medium/heavy oil modules can also be installed. Other tasks within the ERRV’s capabilities include collision avoidance, oil spill recovery, patrolling waters for fisheries agencies, fast response, in-field transfers, search and rescue, border control and disruption of criminal activities such as people trafficking. Being custom-built to the highest technical standards, the multi-role nature of this vessel ensures that operating costs are kept low without compromising on capabilities. In addition, the Cromarty Sentinel, just like all of the newbuilds in the Sentinel fleet, has a green passport that lists all the materials used in her construction, which are potentially hazardous to human health or the environment. So, when the ship is decommissioned at the end of her service life, this passport is also sent to the recycling yard.

Field of Employment

Following delivery by Fujian in South-East China on 4th January 2022 the ship was prepared for her delivery voyage and began making her way to the UK via Singapore (end of January) and Piraeus (24th February). At the time of writing the newbuild was expected in Aberdeen in early March 2022. Details of the naming ceremony and deployment will feature in the Offshore Fleets section of the General News pages when known.

Sentinel Marine Fleet 2022

Fastnet Sentinel   1,944gt/2015

Multi-Role Field Support 61m ERRV            – Delivered 13/1/15

Cygnus Sentinel  1,944gt/2015

Multi-Role Field Support 61m ERRV            – Delivered 6/2/15

Lundy Sentinel    1,944gt/2015

Multi-Role Field Support 61m ERRV            – Delivered 13/8/15

Forties Sentinel   1,944gt/2016

Multi-Role Field Support 61m ERRV            – Delivered 25/2/16

Portland Sentinel 2,173gt/2016

Multi-Role Field Support 61m ERRV            – Delivered 15/7/16

Mariner Sentinel 2,667gt/2017

Tanker Assist ERRV/100T BP, 65m              – Delivered 2/5/17

Biscay Sentinel   2,173gt/2018

Multi-Role Field Support 62m ERRV            – Delivered 14/3/18

Bailey Sentinel    2,173gt/2018

Multi-Role Field Support 62m ERRV            – Delivered 9/7/18

Scotian Sentinel  2,126gt/1997

(Ex-Scotian Sea) 64m Offshore Supply Ship – Acquired 2018

Malin Sentinel     2,173gt/2020

Multi-Role Field Support ERRV 62m            – Delivered 23/6/20                           (Deferred from 2018)

Cromarty Sentinel              2,030gt/2022

60m Multi-Role 60m ERRV            – Delivered 4/1/22

Viking Sentinel   2,030gt/2022

60m Multi-Role 60m ERRV            – Delivery 2022

Trafalgar Sentinel              2,030gt/2022

60m Multi-Role 60m ERRV            – Delivery 2022