Offshore Vessels - Which One Suits You? 🚢⚓
- Feb 6
- 2 min read
Offshore work isn’t just about oil rigs—there’s a whole fleet of vessels, each with its own challenges. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most fascinating offshore vessels and what it’s like to work on them:
🔹 Heavy Lift Vessels (HLV) – Floating construction sites that install oil platforms and offshore wind farms. Massive cranes, extreme precision, and long shifts—this is where engineering meets raw power.
🔹 Seismic Survey Vessels – High-tech ships mapping the ocean floor with seismic waves. If you love exploration and cutting-edge tech, this is your playground.
🔹 Jack-up Rigs – Drilling platforms that stand on the seabed. Stable but isolated, with long offshore rotations and unpredictable weather—perfect for those who like structure but can handle solitude.
🔹 Cable-Laying Vessels – Installing subsea power and communication cables. Slow, steady, and precise work, with long offshore stays but solid shore leave afterward.
🔹 Dive Support Vessels (DSV) – Supporting saturation divers working at extreme depths. You’ll either be a diver living in a hyperbaric chamber for weeks or part of the topside team running the operation.
🔹 Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) Vessels – Rough seas, high-risk winching, and deepwater towing. Not for the faint-hearted—this is one of the most intense offshore jobs.
🔹 Walk-to-Work (W2W) Vessels – Floating hotels for offshore wind and oil & gas maintenance crews. Shorter rotations and better accommodations, but gangway transfers in rough seas still take nerves of steel.
🔹 Platform Supply Vessels (PSV) – The logistics backbone of offshore work. Transporting supplies, running tight schedules, and mastering dynamic positioning—it’s all about precision and efficiency.
🔹 Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV) – Speedboats for offshore wind farms. Daily transfers mean no long offshore stays, but rough seas make every trip an adventure.
🚀 Which vessel would you choose to work on, and why? Drop your thoughts below! 👇




Comments