The most sophisticated vessel in the seismic industry, the 22-streamer Ramform Sterling was named today at the yard in Tomrefjord, Norway. The new vessel, a sister ship of Ramform Sovereign is 16 meters longer than the previous class Ramforms. It has significantly higher acquisition and transit speed, 25 percent longer endurance, and 60 percent higher production capacity compared to the previous Ramform class. The Ramform Sterling is the most powerful seismic ship in the world, with a power plant supplying 30 000 horsepower.

The vessel class features many new innovations; including the world's first roll compensated helideck, steerable sources, dual workboat capacity and unique gear handling systems. The range of technologies employed is the new benchmark for 3D, 4D and wide azimuth acquisition - in terms of productivity, efficiency, safety and data quality.

Jon Erik Reinhardsen, President and CEO of PGS states in a comment: "This on-time delivery is an important milestone to PGS, as we are combining the most sophisticated technology in the business, with the newest vessel in the industry. Ramform Sterling is adding another of the world's most cost effective vessels to our fleet, giving PGS a clear competitive edge in the market."

Ramform Sterling has a capacity of 22 streamers at 8 km length. The 400 tons of highly sensitive electronic equipment deployed over an area equivalent to 830 soccer pitches. The power station on Ramform Sterling generates up to 30 000 horsepower. When collecting seismic data, the Ramform Sterling generates around 160 tons of thrust, equivalent to two Boeing 747 aircraft at takeoff. Ramform Sterling contains 53 cabins, all with separate bathrooms.

Rune Eng, Group President Marine, states: "We are very excited at the prospect of getting another Ramform S-Class into operations. There has been enormous interest amongst our client base for the vessel, and despite the general slowdown in the seismic market we register that interest for the high productivity, efficiency and safety of the Ramforms. Ramform Sterling already has several good projects lined up throughout the year. We expect to set more industry records for operational efficiency. Once again, this is a fantastic addition to the fleet."

Tags: Petroleum Geo-Services ASA