GulfMark Offshore, Inc.

A Commitment to Green on the Deep Blue Seas.

Our entire fleet of more than 80 vessels includes a wealth of features to help us produce the smallest possible environmental impact. For example, simply meeting the standards for hazardous emissions set forth by the IMO or Flag State isn’t enough for GulfMark Offshore. Wherever possible, we design or maintain our vessels to exceed those standards.

GulfMark Offshore’s newest vessels are designed to maximize volumetric efficiency while minimizing the chance for spillage or accidental discharge. Unlike some double-hulled designs that use space between the hulls to store potential pollutants, we keep all materials stored fully inside the inner hull.

Taking our commitment to being "green" a step farther, we use a fore-to aft bulk tankage configuration intersected with transverse line storage as needed to optimize storage capacity, simplicity, and safety – while also helping to ensure the smoothest possible sea-keeping capabilities.

Overall, our attention to internal design planning includes careful management of various refrigerants, sewage, fuel, chemicals such as sulfur oxides, and other pollutants. We continually emphasize stringent policies and require extensive, ongoing crew training to reduce or eliminate the potential for accidental release of environmentally unfriendly contaminants.

Diesel Electric Propulsion for Maximum Efficiency and Control.

Unlike conventional propeller configurations that convert power from a spinning shaft to propeller energy that pushes water aft, Azimuth-Pulling, or “azi-pull” propellers deliver greater performance efficiency by pulling the vessel through unobstructed water. The nominal four percent increase in efficiency adds up to significant fuel savings over time.

But performance in close, confined spaces near other vessels or rigs is where azi-pull systems show a true advantage. These systems don’t rely exclusively on rudders to steer a vessel; by rotating each azi-pull system on its mounting, captains are able to accomplish maneuvers that could be impossible in conventional propeller/rudder configurations.

And diesel-electric operation means that the vessel’s main diesel engines are used primarily to drive generators that send electrical power to the large, high-performance motors that drive each propeller. Propulsion speed and direction can be changed almost instantly – azi-pull propellers may be capable of rotating a full 360 degrees to allow operators to position a vessel precisely – enhancing a vessel’s capabilities and safety significantly.

Maximized Storage Capacity Means Minimized Cargo Cost

Each new GulfMark Offshore vessel is designed using the latest in marine design technology and draws from our own extensive at-sea knowledgebase and experience. Our newest vessels were engineered to optimize cargo-hauling capacity – whether palletized supplies, net cargo, or drilling mud and fuels. Highly efficient Computer Aided Design (CAD) systems empower GulfMark Offshore and our construction partners to develop, construct and commission truly state-of-the-industry marine support vessels that deliver peak performance and optimized costs – an ideal combination for today’s high operational requirements at-sea. Many vessels also incorporate a set of stainless steel methanol tanks – each with its own independent pumping and discharge stations. With a focus on delivering maximum cargo volume with minimized cost-per-nautical-mile economics in mind, we’ve built the latest generation PSVs to achieve a remarkable 62 percent efficiency for tankage in relation to hull volume. That means less downtime for loading and more time on the job delivering the support GulfMark Offshore clients expect.

Every Member of the GulfMark Offshore Crew – On Shore or At Sea – Has the Freedom to Help Improve Our Processes.

Cleaning the storage tanks that hold drilling mud – a crucial element in safety, drilling and controlling pressures within a drilling bore shaft – is traditionally a time-consuming, messy and resource-intensive task.

GulfMark Offshore continually encourages new thinking – ideas and suggestions – from every contributor, in any job, on shore or at sea. Our culture of homogenous innovation continually produces a stream of time and money saving concepts that we carefully review for effectiveness, value and safety. Our new Hybrid Mud Tank Cleaning System is a perfect example of deploying creative thinking to accomplish a number of benefits.

Using water heated by the main generator as a byproduct of normal operation, our mud/brine tank cleaning system enables us to fully clean tanks with minimal human intervention – enhancing productivity and safety. The system helps us to reduce expensive time-in-port, which means more time at sea supporting customers.

GulfMark Offshore’s experience has shown up to a 70 percent reduction in normal cleaning fluids as hot water is both effective and can be recycled aboard ship. The semi-automatic process removes all solids for deck storage, and can be performed at sea in an environmentally friendly way.

Hull Form Optimized for Fuel Savings.

GulfMark Offshore design and construction specialists work closely with marine architects during the development phase of each new vessel class to produce a hull form that is both ideal for the vessel’s mission and also delivers maximum fuel efficiency with a broad range of factors such as speed, vessel load, sea conditions, and more.

Utility is important, but so is the comfort and safety of the crew. So each vessel is also designed to provide maximum livability and comfort for the crew – with low noise and vibration, to ensure well rested and mentally alert personnel.

Power Plus: Heavy-Duty, Redundant Systems Deliver Power When Needed.

An abundant and steady supply of electrical power is crucial to operations aboard any of our vessels at sea. Beginning with initial designs, and through construction to launch and beyond, GulfMark Offshore vessels always have abundant supplies of electrical power available to keep critical systems functioning smoothly and consistently.

Moreover, we pay special attention to designed-in flexibility to allow for modifications and updates as each vessel goes to work in the fleet. This means our captains and crews have the versatility and flexibility to deploy new or upgraded equipment to keep GulfMark Offshore vessels at the forefront of functionality for years to come.

Dynamic Positioning and Automated Vessel Management Provide Optimum Control for Precision Operations.

Winds, currents and waves keep the world at sea in constant motion, which can play havoc with the precision maneuvers required in offshore operations. The latest GulfMark Offshore vessels feature a full suite of dynamic positioning systems that work in real time – using fully redundant digital Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment and the most advanced laser distance measurement systems to give operators joystick control of the vessel during complex processes in close proximity to other vessels, rigs or barges.

Beyond safety and optimized operations, these Dynamic Positioning (DP) systems have the precision ability to manage propellers, rudders, throttle and other controls to deliver maximum efficiency while using minimum fuel. This focus on “green” technologies conserves power and reduces emissions while delivering fully integrated control of the vessel so that complex tasks can be completed quickly, efficiently, and economically.

Taking technology a step farther, GulfMark Offshore’s fully automated systems at sea can be monitored and managed from our shore bases – using satellite links – which allows us to plan efficiently for maintenance and provide automated upgrades.

Using the latest technologies in harsh environments, where time is money, and efficiency and control are mandatory, our fully integrated Vessel Management System (VMS) systems are capable of operating vessels in a fully automated mode – precisely managing tank gauging, generator functionality, propulsion control and alarm logging systems.

Emission Control for Maximum Green Operation.

GulfMark Offshore deploys advanced engine catalytic converter systems to ensure that we operate with minimal impact to the environments in which we work.

For example, the four main generators which drive the electric motors that control the azi-pull propellers on our latest Platform Support Vessels are fitted with catalytic converters that reduce Nitrogen Oxide by as much as 89 percent.

The key to maximized effectiveness is the incorporation of Selective Catalytic Reactor (SCR) units to engines, which allows us to eliminate nearly all Nitrogen Oxide and Sulfuric Oxide emissions during normal operations. Over the course of a typical at-sea assignment, these reductions give GulfMark Offshore a significant capability for reducing our environmental “footprint” in carefully balanced marine ecosystems.

A Well-Rested and Comfortable Crew is a Highly Productive and Alert Crew.

Not all productivity takes place in the wheelhouse or weather decks. A vessel’s crew needs accommodations that deliver relaxation, the opportunity to rest and eat well. Vessel accommodations allow the chance to recharge the personal batteries in order to deliver maximum alertness and attention to details when at work – on deck, in the galley, in engineering spaces, or in the wheelhouse.

GulfMark Offshore’s latest vessels are designed to provide Comfort Class III – which means noise and vibration levels are reduced to a point that helps to ensure maximum personal comfort.

Interior living spaces are designed to optimize comfort – coming as close as possible to a typical onshore living environment. In designing living spaces, GulfMark Offshore employed a special vibration analysis program, which actually produces sound and mechanical vibration to dampen the natural conditions aboard ship when working. This enables us to give our crews a sense of isolation from working on shift – distance sorely needed when working at sea for weeks on end.

GulfMark Offshore vessel designers and managers work closely with shipyards to think beyond long-term accepted practices to create new ways to ensure crew comfort.

Form Enhances Function on the Forecastle.

Operating areas like the North Sea can be challenging in the best of times. So we’ve optimized our new designs to operate smoothly in the worst of times.

By covering the forecastle area – everything from the wheelhouse to the bows – we’ve created a number of advantages: protection from wind and waves, an enhanced DP footprint, streamlined hull form for optimized fuel usage, and – perhaps most important – additional protected deck space for crew operations.

Having a safe, protected workspace on the forecastle enables crews to perform on-deck jobs with far less worry about wind and waves – and far greater confidence about safety. With less worry about often chilling water and powerful winds, crews think more clearly and perform more efficiently.

Aft deck working spaces, reduced bulwark height at the stern gives crews greater visibility for loading/unloading operations and for working in tandem with other vessels. And discharge/loading stations on both port and starboard sides each provide a full range of connections.

Wave-Reducing Bulbous Bow Design.

The futuristic-looking bulbous projection below the waterline at the bow "paves the way" for the vessel and minimizes the bow wake – a crucial aspect of making advanced GulfMark Offshore vessels more comfortable at sea and also safer when operating in areas where an excessive bow wave could jeopardize operations or damage the environment.

Equally important, by effectively "killing" the bow wave, the bulbous extension reduces hull friction and streamlines the vessel at the waterline, which helps to improve fuel efficiency.