Panama City Fla.-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group has been awarded a contract to complete construction of two ultra-high-spec 400 Class Multipurpose Support Vessels (MPSVs) for Hornbeck Offshore Services (HOS).
The contract comes as the result of a lengthy, back-and-forth legal tussle.
The newbuilds were originally started by Gulf Island Shipyards in Houma, La. before Hornbeck terminated the shipyard construction contracts in 2018 over what it described as “performance issues.” Gulf Island then sued Hornbeck, claiming the two pacts were wrongfully terminated.
Gulf Island and Hornbeck settled in October 2023, clearing the way for the work on the two vessels to be finished by another yard.
Eastern Shipbuilding secured the contract to complete the builds from Zurich American Insurance Company, the issuer of the performance bonds for the original MPSV contracts.
Scheduled for delivery in 2025, the two Jones Act-compliant MPSVs – HOS Warhorse and HOS Wild Horse – will each carry two remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) with a dedicated ROV control room and workshop, a spacious moonpool, and accommodations for 102 personnel.
Both vessels will also be equipped with a pair of knuckle-boom cranes with a combined capacity of 350 tons, stainless steel chemical tanks, and available back deck power of 480, 208, and 110 volts.
“When delivered, these vessels will be the two largest and, we believe, the most capable MPSVs in the U.S.-flagged Jones Act registry and will enhance our ability to support our oilfield, offshore wind, and military customers across a broad spectrum of services,” said Hornbeck Offshore Services President and CEO, Todd Hornbeck.
While it completes work on the two MPSVs, Eastern reportedly will continue work to convert HOS Rocinante, a dual-service ‘floatel’ and service operation vessel (SOV) for planned delivery to Hornbeck in the spring of 2025.
A surge in the offshore wind, oil, and gas sectors has driven a greater worldwide demand for offshore support vessels such as anchor-handling tug-and-supply boats, and platform supply vessels, as well as MPSVs.
According to New York-based Polaris Market Research, the global offshore support vessel market was valued at $22 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand through 2030 at a combined annual growth rate of 4.2 percent.