Petroleum Geo-Services ASA : PGS names its second Ramform Titan-class vessel

24 January 2014.

The second vessel in the Ramform Titan class, the Ramform Atlas was celebrated in a naming ceremony in Nagasaki, Japan today. To Petroleum Geophysical Services ASA ("PGS"), safety, efficiency and productivity are the most important features of the new, 24-streamer vessel. The ceremony took place at the MHI yard in Nagasaki. The vessel will typically tow a network of several hundred thousand recording sensors over an area greater than 12 km2, equivalent to 3.5 times Central Park.

Image by Petroleum Geo-Services ASA

The Ramform Titan-class is the most powerful and efficient marine seismic acquisition vessel ever and the widest ship in the world at the waterline. Safety and productivity have been the main focus points for her design. Ramform Atlas is the second of four such vessels to be built in Japan. Her sister ship, the Ramform Titan, has been operating very successfully since its delivery in April 2013.

The design dovetails advanced maritime technology to the imaging capabilities of the GeoStreamer® seismic acquisition technology. Her 70 meter broad stern is fully exploited with 24 streamer reels: 16 reels aligned abreast and 8 reels further forward. Increased work space and advanced equipment mean safer and even more robust operations.

For PGS and its clients, more rapid deployment and retrieval of equipment, as well as greater operational capacity will translate into faster completion of surveys and increased uptime in marginal weather. The period between major yard stays is also extended by 50%.

The Ramform Titan-class sets the new standard for seismic operations for the next 20 years.

Jon Erik Reinhardsen, President and CEO of PGS states in a comment:
"The Ramform Atlas takes seismic acquisition to a new level. We have combined the most sophisticated technology in the business, with the most powerful and most efficient vessel in the industry. The second ship in the Ramform Titan class further strengthens our fleet and will give us a clear competitive edge for the next decade."

Ramform Atlas is equipped with 24 reels with capacity for 12 km streamers, which give her tremendous flexibility and redundancy for high capacity operations. She carries over 6000 tons of fuel and equipment. She will typically tow a network of several hundred thousand recording sensors over an area greater than 12 km2, equivalent to nearly 1500 soccer pitches, or 3.5 times Central Park.

Ramform Atlas provides a safe and comfortable living and working environment for up to 80 crew members, with 60 single cabins, and 10 twin cabins for visitors, all with separate bathrooms.

Magne Reiersgård, EVP Operations, states:
"We are very excited at the prospect of welcoming the second Ramform Titan class into operations. We look forward to leveraging the high productivity, efficiency and safety that this new vessel is expected to bring. We expect Ramform Atlas to set more industry records for operational efficiency. This is a fantastic day for PGS and a great addition to the fleet."

Petroleum Geo-Services ASA press release