‘Eagle Bergen’ was built by Samsung to the standards required to operate on the Norwegian continental shelf, as she is fixed on long-term charter to Statoil.
The new vessel is owned and commercially managed by a joint venture company – AET Sea Shuttle – which was formed between AET - the majority partner - and ADS Shipping Limited of Norway. She is technically managed by OSM Maritime Group, a sister company of ADS.
Officiating at the naming ceremony last week, AET chairman, Datuk Nasarudin bin Md Idris said: “Today is a momentous occasion for AET. It represents the culmination of much hard work and the cementing of relationships between our company and two very special partners - Statoil and OSM Maritime Group.
“AET continues to broaden its operating footprint and capabilities. Alongside our traditional crude oil operations and our lightering activities, we now operate DP capable vessels in the Brazilian Basin, the US Gulf and the North Sea,” he said.
The chairman of ADS Shipping and OSM Maritime Group, Bjørn Tore Larsen, commented: “We are delighted to be investing in ‘Eagle Bergen’ and ‘Eagle Barents’ and being a part of a team that brings a new, major player into the North Sea market.
“Like AET, we also believe in the strategic importance of creating long-term partnerships that build value for all those involved. Aligning ourselves with companies that share our business outlook will create synergies and mutual advantage for us all. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with AET and Statoil,” he concluded.
Each sistership is of a twin skeg construction, is fitted with twin engines and is also fitted with a range of eco-innovations to reduce the impact on the environment, including a ballast water treatment system, SOx scrubber system and a VOC emission reduction system.