Compagnie Maritime Monégasque SAM (CMM) has signed contracts with Petrobras to charter five new fast oil spill response vessels using the highly fuel-efficient Sea Axe design by Damen Shipyards Group. The axe-bow design allows the vessel to reach offshore oil platforms in half the time it takes traditional OSRVs. The vessels have unrivalled speed, stability and operability in deep seas, according to Damen. 

Three of the vessels will be in operation by end of December 2015 and two by end of June 2016. The four-year contract has a value of $130 million and is mutually extendable for a second four-year term. All of the vessels are being built by Damen and will have state-of-the-art guidance and propulsion systems with built-in redundancies.

“This is our second Brazil project and we look forward to further building and developing our partnership with Petrobras," said Christophe Vancauwenbergh CMM’s CEO.