SeaBird fleet set to expand

摘要

OSLO-LISTED SeaBird Exploration aims to boost its fleet of seismic vessels as market conditions improve. The contractor has unveiled plans to acquire the Boa Galatea and Boa Thalassa vessels for Nkrl85 million ($21.6 million) from Boa Offshore and has secured approval from a majority of bondholders in parent company Boa SBL. However, "no binding decisions" have been made regarding a capacity expansion, with SeaBird still evaluating alternatives. SeaBird is also looking to charter additional tonnage to boost its existing four-vessel fleet, haivng recently landed a 3D seismic contract off West Africa and an ocean-bottom seismic survey in the US Gulf of Mexico. The company said it "is seeing increasing demand for its services within the source vessel, 2D and niche 3D markets", with dayrates across the three segments up 15% to 30% year-on-year as the business rebounds and oil companies regain exploration appetites.