Wednesday 22 August 2018

OceanGate Expeditions, a provider of manned submersible and specialty expeditions, has selected Island Offshore, an operator of offshore subsea service vessels, as their preferred partner for deep sea exploration. As part of the agreement, a vessel from Island Offshore’s fleet of Subsea Construction and Accommodation Vessels will be used as the primary topside support vessel for the 2019 Titanic Survey Expedition.

As per the agreement, OceanGate will grant first right of refusal to Island Offshore on all deep sea expeditions over the next five years that require a commercial grade and classed support vessel. Island Offshore will provide suitable ships, offshore crew and personnel to support the OceanGate Expeditions team and help accomplish the mission objectives.

Island Offshore has a long history of providing quality solutions for the offshore oil industry as well as subsea service vessels. The privately-owned company operates a fleet of 27 vessels ranging from Platform Supply Vessels, Anchor Handling Vessels, Subsea Construction Vessels to Light Well Intervention Vessels.

The chosen Island Offshore vessel, scheduled to depart from St. John’s, Newfoundland in June 2019, will serve as the topside support ship for the first manned submersible mission to the RMS Titanic since 2005. The six-week expedition will explore and map the wreck located nearly 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland in the North Atlantic. The Island Offshore vessel will house over 35 expedition crew members, mission specialists, researchers, and scientists for the duration of the expedition. Island Offshore’s fleet of Subsea Construction and Accommodation Vessels are all complete with private sleeping quarters for everyone on board, offers various spacious and comfortable spaces for collaboration, research, and relaxation. Equipped with a commercial grade kitchen, gym, medical room and various lounge spaces, each vessel is perfectly suited to serve both the scientific objectives of the mission, as well as the needs of the crew and participating mission specialists. The large, built-in helipad on the vessels makes it possible to efficiently transport mission specialists and crew to and from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Helicopter flights maximize time spent at the dive site, by reducing travel time motoring to and from shore.

Beyond the multi-year Titanic Survey Expedition, the two companies are already discussing projects in the Caribbean Sea, Coral Sea, Adriatic Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico.