Nortrans Offshore wins flotel work on Romanian gas project

Singapore-based Nortrans Offshore has landed a charter deal with Italian offshore engineering and construction giant Saipem for one of its maintenance and support vessels.

The 2015-built flotel Temis will work on the Neptun Deep gas development project in the Romanian part of the Black Sea. The contract duration is set for an initial 160 days, with an additional option of up to 170 days. Financial terms of the deal were not revealed.

The vessel can accommodate 500 people and will play a role through the hook-up and commissioning phase of Neptun Deep and provide subsequent assistance to the start-up of the safe work procedure.

In November last year, the Temis won a deal from Equinor to support the hook-up and commissioning phase of the Bacalhau FPSO. The contract will last five months from early 2025. It also has a five-month extension option.

Neptun Deep is the largest natural gas project in the Romanian Black Sea and the first deepwater offshore project in Romania. With an estimated total volume of around 100bn cu m of natural gas, the project will position the country as the largest gas producer in the EU.

The exploration, development, and production rights for the Neptun Deep block are owned by OMV Petrom and Romgaz, each titleholder with a 50% stake. OMV Petrom is the project operator.

Construction for the topsides of the offshore gas platform started at Saipem’s yard in Karimun, Indonesia, in May 2024.