Imagine holding a 100-meter long, subsea construction vessel in position as it lowers with its 250-ton crane, heavy subsea modules to the seabed. GE’s Power Conversion takes the guess work out of complex dynamic positioning (DP) operations with its advanced human-machine interface (HMI) and returns ship control to the mariner, so skilled DP operators can once again focus on the task of ship handling. When the system is operating in its new “Energy Efficiency” mode, it offers the owner/operator reduced fuel consumption with the associated reduction in engine emissions continuing with GE’s global mission for a greener environment.

Hornbeck Offshore will employ Power Conversion’s latest generation DP technology for its four new multipurpose supply vessels (MPSVs). In their role as MPSVs, they can operate as either a subsea construction vessel capable of performing complex subsea construction operations or as a resupply and support vessel to ultra deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, or anywhere else in the world as required by their charterers.

“The DP solution and its user interface is the heart of a ship’s positioning system. When we can continue to work with a company that knows us, has supplied us with systems in the past and, with our input, can supply us with a next generation system we can rely on, it remarkably enhances our mission to provide value-added business solutions for our own customers,” says Carl G. Annessa, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Hornbeck Offshore. He adds, “By using GE’s next generation solution, we gain efficiency and flexibility thanks to a commonality of systems, as well as access to a global team of experts.”

Tags: GE Energy