The Pilot Boat: Old Far Viscount

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Old Far Viscount

Hi there I’m back, sorry to be away for a while, but I have been quite busy preparing the Far Swift to start the new charter in Brazil as a floatel.

But this time I’m just here to show some pictures of Far Viscount and Far Swift, maybe you ask why, just because Far Viscount was my first vessel when I joined Farstad Shipping about 10 years ago and Far Swift is the vessel where I’m on now.

The Far Viscount photos were taken when I was arriving to berth the Far Swift in Macaé port in Brazil (Petrobras Base for Campos Oil Field) and she was coming out heading to the field.

When I was looking to the photos, immediately I started comparing the old and the new, the Far Viscount has now about 25 years and still on duty, Far Swift just four years old.

Both vessels are PSV’s that means Platform Supply Vessel, but the age between them makes all the difference, size, power output, thrusting power, and all the new systems and gadgets to hold stations like DP (Far Swift is DP class II), including reference systems etc.

The Far Viscount was and still is a very good seaworthy vessel, as far as I remember a little bit stiff, big roll and pitching quite heavily, but during the time that I spent on it in the North Sea and Morecambe Bay with weekly gales and strong tidal streams she never let us down, sometimes the skippers complaining about short power available but the vessel always managed to finish the jobs that was entitled to do.

The Far Swift is one of last generation PSV with all features as should be, the most valuable of this equipment is obviously the Kongsberg DP system SDP 21 (DP Class II).

See bellow some of main features of both vessels.