Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels are mainly built to handle anchors for

oil rig An oil rig is any kind of apparatus constructed for oil drilling. Kinds of oil rig include: * Drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construc ...

s, tow them to location, and use them to secure the rigs in place. AHTS vessels sometimes also serve as Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRVs) and as supply transports. Many of these vessels are designed to meet the harsh conditions of the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

, and can undertake supply duties there between land bases and drilling sites. They also provide towing assistance during tanker loading, deepwater anchor handling, and towing of threatening objects. AHTS vessels differ from

platform supply vessel A platform supply vessel (PSV) is a ship specially designed to supply offshore oil platform, oil and gas platforms and other offshore installations. They typically range from in length and are distinguished by the large open deck area used to st ...

s (PSVs) in being fitted with winches for towing and anchor handling, having an open stern to allow the decking of anchors, and having more power to increase the bollard pull. The machinery is specifically designed for anchor handling operations. They also have arrangements for quick anchor release, which is operable from the bridge or other normally crewed locations in direct communication with the bridge. The reference load used in the design and testing of the towing winch is twice the static bollard pull. Even if AHTS-vessels are customized for anchor-handling and towing, they can also undertake, for example, ROV (

remotely operated underwater vehicle A remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROUV) or remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is a free-swimming submersible craft used to perform underwater observation, inspection and physical tasks such as valve operations, hydraulic functions and other g ...

) services, safety/rescue services, and supply duties between mainland and offshore installations. The world's strongest tug since its delivery in 2020 is MV ''Island Victory'' (Vard Brevik 831) of Island Offshore, with a bollard pull of 477 tonnes-force (526 short tons-force; 4,680 kN).

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The Bourbon OrcaBourbon Orca, yno 273, Ulstein VerftIcebreaker AHTS Balder Viking
Shipbuilding Ship types Petroleum technology

See also

References

External links