What are Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs)?

Platform supply vessels or PSVs is a type of offshore vessel which is mainly used for transiting essential equipment and additional manpower to reinforce the high seas’ operations.

A platform support vessel is, at its broadest and most literal of implications, a much-needed support ship. Synonymously referred to as Offshore Supply Vessels (OSVs), platform supply vessels help to sustain the demands of the constructional and maintenance projects thus fulfilling a vital necessity in the nature of operations at the high seas.

Details of Platform Support Vessel

The singularity of OSV ships stems from numerous factors, even aside from its unique role in the high seas constructional sector.

Under a broader ambit, supply vessels help to lug not just heavy structural equipment but also smaller yet essential structural components like paving material (cement and concrete) and chemical compounds that help in efficient sub-water boring operations. In addition to these, food and provisions to the crew and personnel working in the high seas is also transported by way of these supply ships.

Personnel discharged from active line of operations in the high seas are also transported back to the nearest harbour facilities by way of these incoming supply vessels.

Since OSV ships transit personnel, these vessels come furbished with cookhouses and other necessary facilities to facilitate an easy transiting for the personnel. In terms of their technical proportion, OSVs can measure anywhere between 65 feet to over 300 metres. This aspect about platform supply vessels adds to their operational singularity.

A platform support vessel can be custom-built to suit the operational needs of its operators. Consequentially, not all PSVs are employed to transit drilling rig platforms or sub-water cables to help in the oil excavation operations. They are also utilised for the purposes of curbing the extent of oil spillage in the high seas and also as handy vessels with fire-controlling instrumentation.

Presently, the need for PSVs has started to be felt more and more as compared to the past few years. This is on account of the constant rise in the number of operations in the high seas, which has in turn resulted in the advancement in the construction of the supply vessels.

This demand fuelled need for more of these vessels, coupled with the benefits of modern technologies can very well be considered as a positive thrust in a very viable and highly necessitated medium of operation.

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