• James Fisher Subtech charters construction vessel Edda Savanah for the 2023 offshore maintenance season

• The vessel will support JF Subtech customers with inspection, maintenance and repair projects in the UK’s North and Irish Seas

• Immediate availability of the vessel will help ease supply and price challenges faced by the offshore energy industry

James Fisher Subtech (JF Subtech), provider of specialist technical marine support to the renewables, oil and gas, civil works and salvage markets and part of James Fisher and Sons plc, has signed a charter agreement with Østensjø Rederi AS for the exclusive use of its inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) and construction vessel, Edda Savanah.

The agreement will see the vessel mobilised from April 2023 for work in both the North and Irish Seas on IRM projects for JF Subtech’s customers, utilising remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and multiple diving methods, two of JF Subtech’s core capabilities.

The charter comes as the UK’s offshore energy industry faces supply chain crunches, allowing JF Subtech to be agile and responsive to customers’ changing needs at a time when vessel availability within the industry is constrained. The Edda Savanah will provide a valued and stable cost base for JF Subtech’s new and existing customer base.

Following the successful performance of the Deep Cygnus in 2022, the agreement with Norwegian vessel operator Østensjø Rederi AS further builds JF Subtech’s UK offshore capabilities for 2023, and demonstrates the Group’s commitment to providing solutions to the energy market.

A highly adaptable vessel that allows for a variety of configurations, the Edda Savanah will be fitted with a James Fisher-owned work class ROV, observation class ROVs and an air dive spread, as well as benefitting from a 150-tonne crane that will allow JF Subtech to deliver a full suite of capabilities. Ensuring the safety of operations in the face of prevailing North Sea conditions, the Edda Savanah has also been equipped with a daughter craft, ideally located in the centre of the vessel to increase stability during launch and recovery.

The Edda Savanah was built in 2017 and is currently undergoing internal reconfiguration, which will be completed by the end of March. She measures around 97m in length with DP2 capabilities, and an onboard capacity for 100 passengers while remaining SPS compliant.

Mike Bailey, Asset and Operations Director at JF Subtech, said:

The Edda Savanah will be mobilised from April 2023, with potential opportunity for use by other James Fisher group companies during the season.