m/v Vyacheslav Tikhonov

Length  84,2 m

Beam 17 m

Draft 6,7 m
Gross tonnage 4711 GRT
Deadweight 1 414 t
Main engines 4 x Wartsila 9L26
Propeller 2 x Berg CP 

Auxiliary engines 2 x 8AL 20/24
Bow Thruster 3 x Brunvoll
Cruising speed 17 knots
Range at cruising speed 12 000 nautical miles
Fresh water capacity 120 t
Fresh water maker 20 t/day
Fuel capacity 870 t
Fuel consmp. per day 10 t cruise
Deck crane HSBC-80 (SWL 6,5 t)

At a festive ceremony in Sochi, on 16 September 2011, a new seismic exploration vessel called Vyacheslav Tikhonov was named for SCF Group, and a flag of Russian Federation was raised. Russian PM Vladimir Putin and other high government and business officials took part in the ceremony.

The vessel is designed for geophysical exploration on the continental shelf of the Arctic and sub-Arctic seas, operating in harsh weather and ice conditions.

The ship is named after a prominent Soviet and Russian actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov, a recipient of numerous state awards, including the titles of People’s Artist of the USSR. His unforgettable roles, especially the most famous acting as a Soviet spy Stirlitz in the TV series “Seventeen Moments of Spring”, are very well known in the country.

Immediately after the ceremony Vyacheslav Tikhonov started working under contract - seismic exploration work for the Tuapse Trough Project on behalf of OAO NK Rosneft and ExxonMobil. The ship will be operated jointly by SCF and OAO Sevmorneftegeofizika - one of the leading Russian seismic companies. The two companies participated together in the tender by OAO Rosneft, for the implementation of marine seismic surveys on the continental shelf in the Black Sea, during 2011-2012.

Previously, SCF Group had acquired the ship under a bareboat charter agreement with Polarcus, one of the world’s leading companies specializing marine seismic exploration.

The high-tech X-bow 3D seismic exploration vessel was built in August 2011, and is the youngest of six existing vessels of this kind in the world. The vessel has modern equipment and several unique technical features. The hull, the bow and the stern of the vessel have a special form and the ship has eight seismometer cable assemblies, she also has optimised parameters for her diesel-electric propulsion system. These are technical solutions designed to maintain smooth operations at low temperatures, supported by the vessel’s enhanced ice-class and overall high safety standards.

During the ceremony a series of agreements were signed, including an agreement with United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) on further production of these kinds of vessels in Russia.

The vessel is included in the Russian Register of Ships, she flies the Russian flag and will be managed by a Russian crew of seafarers and seismic specialists. The technical management of the ship is run by SCF Novoship, (Novorossiysk), one of the oldest and most professional tanker companies in the world.

The addition of this modern ship, to Russia’s seismic survey fleet, will expand the range of services provided to oil and gas companies operating on the Russian continental shelf. It will also give the SCF-SMNG partnership access to the latest technologies for data collection and the use of a seismic fleet, with a special focus on Arctic operations. The new vessel will reduce the technological gap between Russian contractors and the leading international seismic survey companies.

This news is another example of how SCF is developing as a strong national offshore player, with extensive expertise and focus on operating in the Arctic and harsh environments.

Sovcomflot President & CEO Sergey Frank said:

“Strengthening our fleet with the addition of this seismic vessel is fully in line with SCF’s strategy targeted towards providing specialised shipping services for Russia’s continental shelf. It is an important step towards developing a closer partnership between SCF, SMNG and the consortium of Rosneft and ExxonMobil in the marine seismic segment. The Russian fleet and domestic marine geology will gain access to the latest technologies for data collection, and this undoubtedly will contribute to cutting the technological gap between Russian subcontractors and the world’s leading seismic survey companies. It promotes import substitution of services, whilst upgrading Russia’s ageing seismic fleet and equipment”.

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m/v Polarcus Amani

Length: 92 m

Breadth: 22 m
Gross Tonnage: 7894

DeadWeight: 4350 t
Speed recorded (Max/Average): 14.9/10.3 knots
Flag: Bahamas
IMO: 9610171

ULSTEIN delivered the next generation seismic research vessel Polarcus Amani to marine geophysical company Polarcus on 29 March 2012. The vessel is of the SX134 design from ULSTEIN, and is vessel number seven in Polarcus’ fleet of some of the most modern and advanced seismic vessels in the world; all with the X-BOW® hull line design.

Polarcus Amani is the first Polarcus vessel built by ULSTEIN’s own shipyard in Norway. She is soon to be followed by her sister vessel, yard number 293, due for delivery at the end of Q2.

Arctic Approach
Polarcus Amani is an arctic-ready vessel designed and built for operations in arctic waters. She carries the ICE-1A* and Winterized Basic notations from DNV, and can operate in first-year ice of up to 1 metre thickness without the assistance of icebreakers. The entire vessel is ice-reinforced with thicker ribs and skin plates. She has de-icing and ice-preventing systems at critical tanks and pipelines, and propellers, gears and thrusters are dimensioned for withstanding operations in ice. Escape corridors and rescue equipment are also protected against icing during arctic operations. Although 3D seismic acquisition will only take place in ice-free, or possibly bergy water conditions, the arctic qualities of the vessel enables it to move through ice on her way to and from the survey area, or remain in icy areas waiting for the ice to clear, increasing the operational window of the vessel.

Environmental effortsMinimising environmental impact is central to Polarcus’ business philosophy and a focus area in all the company’s activities. This is particularly important when operating in fragile areas such as the arctic. A number of environmental initiatives have been taken when designing and building the Polarcus Amani.

“We take every precaution to prevent or minimise our environmental footprint,” says Peter Zickerman, Executive Vice President of Polarcus, and continues: “The vessel’s double hull and its advanced bilge water cleaning system and ballast water treatment system reduce emissions to water down to a minimum. The vessel, like the other vessels in our fleet, runs on marine gas oil (MGO) with low sulphur content and has high specification exhaust catalysts, which clean the exhaust before it is emitted to air. Polarcus Amani is also equipped with a diesel electric propulsion system. The vessel’s X-BOW hull line design is another of its many green features, in that it reduces fuel consumption and therefore emissions to air. This is one of the reasons why we only have X-BOWs in our fleet.”

Polarcus Amani carries the Clean Design notation from DNV.

Bad weather vessel
The hydrodynamic efficiency of the X-BOW, which leads to reduced emissions and more cost-effective operations, is not its only benefit. With its superior sea-keeping abilities, it also provides a safe and comfortable workplace for the crew both during transit and seismic surveys. This is particularly the case in heavy sea. The X-BOW eliminates slamming and hence increases the well-being of those on board.

“The X-BOW’s gliding movements and the absence of slamming allows us to relax and sleep uninterruptedly – a definite benefit for the people on board, says a chief officer in Polarcus, who has plenty of experience with the tiring effect slamming has on the body from his time on board vessels with a conventional bow.

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