Transfer market

The company began humbly with the remit of advising insurers about risks from marine operations in the offshore oil and gas industry. Skip forward 104 years, and the combination of practical seafarers skills and an intimate knowledge of cutting edge technology has seen the company establish itself in all the world’s major oil and gas hubs.

“We are first and foremost a provider of marine and offshore engineering services to the energy and maritime industries. Noble Denton tanker services was formed to take care of high profile turnkey ship to ship transfer operations, and is an important asset to the company,” says Captain David Brant.

The service provision for the offshore sector is far reaching, but the core element of oil transfer at sea is a strategic offering called upon when conditions demand a higher level of expertise, or when oil majors and traders find their own resources stretched too thin.

The ship-to-ship transfer is typically the most complex task they are called upon to perform, but the team also manages cargo transfers from Floating Production and Storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs), SPMs (Single-Point Moorings), and tandem moorings, among several other niche operations.

For buoy mooring operations the loading buoys are anchored offshore and serve as a mooring point for tankers to load gas or liquid hydrocarbon products. These buoys enable a safe and secure link between the geostatic subsea manifold connections and the weathervaning tanker on the surface.

“It takes a great deal of training and experience to develop people to the stage where they can manage the transfer of oil between large tankers at sea. The proficiency level necessary and the risks involved make this a highly skilled and specialised task,” explains Brant.

Noble Denton’s global teams are based out of service hubs, with Shipping and Tanker services operating largely from Fujairah, the southern Gulf’s major tanker anchorage and oil storage terminal. The company has established presence in the Middle East with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, as well as operations in Cairo, Egypt, and Mumbai in India.

“Everyone employed in the Shipping and Tankers services division are qualified marine pilot with extensive experience in the tanker industry and a raft of qualifications, which enable us to carry out the whole remit of operations, whether it be basic loading, ship-to-ship or working with gas tankers.”

The hub concept has been adopted by marine service providers worldwide, enabling a strong regional presence whilst having access to comprehensive air links with other major centres, spreading the sphere of activity way beyond the national level.

Industry insight

Despite the perceived risks in ship-to-ship transfers, the method remains popular, partly because done well the danger of marine pollution is extremely low, but primarily because economic factors and ship movements dictate that finding the most efficient route often means loading a ship out of port.

“We’re competitive compared to ports because we don’t require tug boats, port dues and other associated expenses. By managing the operation entirely through pilotage skills we keep costs down, and enable the tanker to begin its journey or avoid costly lay days,” he adds. Indeed, with tanker day rates around the $80,000 mark, a weekend’s wait is unacceptable to an operator.

Quality and safety are amongst the major factors in choosing specialist marine services and Noble Denton builds in quality controls at each point of its processes.

“Our brand protection policy encompasses all technical, quality, health, safety & environmental assurance practices Noble Denton use to identify hazards, assess the risk and implement suitable controls,” said Captain Brant.

“This approach ensures we provide our customers with the highest quality levels of service,” he adds.

“We are exceptionally proud of our safety and quality record. We invest heavily in ship-to-ship simulator training courses and ensure we participate in regular refresher courses.”

Employing the most experienced team, carrying out comprehensive risk assessments and ensuring operations are carried out within the framework of the highest international standards is obviously the best way a company can insulate itself from the risk of accidental marine pollution.

“We have a very comprehensive risk analysis which covers every aspect of the whole operation. All the equipment has to be certified, and we make sure all of the equipment undergoes the most rigorous testing the industry offers, any cost-cutting here significantly raises the chance of something going wrong, and that’s something that we will not tolerate.”

Innovation

The oil and product tanker sector is perhaps rightly squared with the reputation of being conservative in its nature. Things don’t change overnight, and that’s some comfort to owners and operators alike.

During a ship-to-ship transfer, one vessel would typically vent to atmosphere, and all of the petroleum vapours would be expelled to the open air, whilst inert gases would be generated by the offloading vessel to replace the liquid leaving the tanks.

“Because of greenhouse gases, and the ecological footprint of doing this the old-fashioned way, the modern thinking is to use vapour hoses between the two vessels so that as one vessel is discharging, it receives the vapour from the other vessel, eliminating the need to vent, thus reducing noxious emissions dramatically,” he says.

However, equipping all vessels operating in the region with vapour hoses will come at a cost. “Without regulatory enforcement it’s unlikely that will become the norm here. In European waters there is environmental pressure to use vapour hoses when carrying out ship-to-ship transfers, but as yet these forces have to be felt in the Gulf.

The challenge

“Our business is growing rapidly and that means we have ambitious recruitment targets, finding talented individuals continues to be challenging and we’ve certainly noticed a lack of new-blood entering the industry.”

Noble Denton is tackling this issue head on and investing in the training and development for those from complimentary disciplines.

“One of our team here had no pilotage experience, so we funded a training programme, and developed a programme of experience days where he could observe ship-to-ship transfers and learn first hand of the complexities involved.”

The same individual also benefited from advanced training in gas tanker operations enabling him to undertake gas tanker inspection.

“This commitment to training and development means that not only can we offer extensive services to our customers but we can retain and motivate our employees.”

The forecast

The Middle East industry is covered by Noble Denton from operational bases in Fujairah and Khorfakkan (in neighbouring Sharjah). “Of course, being at the heart of the Middle East’s oil industry makes this office very significant to our global profile, and for a relatively small team on the ground, this year we’ve generated quite impressive revenues,” said Captain Brant. In April alone the Middle East team carried out 16 operations, almost going from one ship to the next. It was hard work for everybody concerned, but it was very satisfying to be able to deliver on everything without a hitch.”

The model in the United Arab Emirates means that most companies have their own pilots, but when they are working near capacity – as is the case in the recent price environment, Noble Denton’s team fill in for loading operations from offshore platforms and loading facilities. “We also do regular work offshore Qatar for Occidental in the huge North Field.”

Despite the growing number of competitors, Captain Brant feels the Middle East market is still a ripe one. “National and international oil companies recognise the value in choosing Noble Denton, a firm with a solid reputation and a pedigree for quality work.”

Further to the operations business, Noble Denton is also targeting a booming market for independent inspection and analysis.

“Right now we are looking at a project in Qatar to expand our vetting and inspection of gas tankers services. Reputable tanker charterers and the oil majors will usually ask for an independent Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCMIF) compliant inspection before they charter a vessel.”

The OCIMF is a voluntary association of oil companies having an interest in the shipment and terminalling of crude oil and oil products. The forum has developed a system whereby commercially unbiased inspection reports are uploaded to a central holding database, enabling a chartering party to buy and analyse these reports before signing for a vessel.

There is no requirement to get this done, but if, as an owner, you wish to attract a good charter from a major then this will form a significant part of their risk assessment.

“Looking at the statistics, this database has been very successful at bringing the tanker fleet in the world up to a very high standard, and the wheels are in motion to replicate the model in other shipping sectors. We have a team based here covering the Middle East and Africa region, and when we’re invited to inspect a vessel there are no commercial pressures bending our analysis – it’s a solid system.”

Responsible owners and operators will always value experience, and pedigree goes a long way in the maritime business.

With a service offering that continues to expand in scope and in its regional presence, Brant says he is excited about the opportunities for the Middle Eastern offices. “We’re here to stay, and look forward to championing technical excellence and safe operations,” he concludes.