Iolair

Iolair (Gaelic for eagle) is a specialised semi-submersible offshore platform designed for BP to support and service oil platforms in the North Sea and served as an emergency support vessel (ESV) in the Forties Oil Field. Since 2000 she has been working in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico as an offshore construction and service vessel.

Particulars

Iolair is a self-propelled, twin hull, vessel and operates as a dynamically positioned (DP) construction support vessel. The vessel can operate up to a water depth of 488 metres (1,601 ft), is 102 metres (335 ft) long and 51 metres (167 ft) wide, and has 350 beds with single and double occupancy.

This unique vessel did not start as an ESV, but rather as the concept of a maintenance and support vessel (MSV). It was proposed for the Forties oil field, jointly owned by British National Oil Corporation and operated by BP Petroleum Development Company Ltd in the North Sea. A particular feature of the design by the Naval Architects was that there was no cross-bracing between the pontoons. Instead, the platform was given extra strength by a box-girder construction and diagonal bracing was arranged from the centre of the platform to the pontoons. This arrangement remained virtually unchanged to the build completion and offered exceptional speed when the vessel was de-ballasted on the surface. The intention was to achieve a rapid response to emergencies, wherever they might be experienced in the North Sea.