July 4 - ALP Maritime Services has named its latest newbuild anchor handling salvage tug (AHST) ALP Keeper, at a ceremony in Japan.
The Future class AHST is based on the Ulstein SX 157 design and was built at Niigata Shipbuilding & Repair. ALP Keeper is the second in a four-sistership order to be delivered to ALP Maritime Services, a subsidiary of Teekay Offshore Partners.
The ocean-going AHST is designed to tow large, floating objects, such as oil rigs and floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) units, over long distances.
ALP Keeper is 88.9 m long and 21 m wide, has a deadweight of approximately 4,250 tonnes, and offers a cargo deck area of 550 sq m.
The ship has a service speed of 13 knots and a top speed of 19 knots; with a fuel capacity of more than 3,500 cu m, the AHST is able to tow at full power for 45 days - sufficient for non-stop transatlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean towing operations without bunker stops, says ALP Maritime Services. It is also equipped with DNV Dynpos Autr ERN DP2 positioning capability - the highest standard in the towage sector, says the company.
ALP Maritime Services added that it seeing an increased demand for its towage services. The majority of rigs and FPSOs are being built in the Far East, South Korea, China or Singapore, and need to be repositioned to distant areas of the world, such as Africa, Brazil, the US Gulf or the North Sea. Many of these units do not have propulsion systems and require towing, or towing assistance services.
ALP Striker (pictured) was delivered in October 2016
