Lukoil-Nizhnevolzhskneft has contracted Bumi Armada Berhad for three ice-class vessels to service platforms on the V.Filanovsky field in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea.

All the contracts are for 10 years, extendable by up to 20 additional years. Total value for the fixed 10-year charters is $262 million.

The two parties also signed an interim contract valued at $18 million for provision of two support vessels and one multi-purpose duty-rescue vessel. These will be delivered in November 2014 for deployment pending delivery of the ice-class vessels.

The new ice-class support and duty-rescue vessels will start operating in November 2015, providing year-round services including delivery of cargo and personnel, salvage, search and rescue, fire-fighting, towing, and tanker mooring operations.The two 5,280-brake horsepower (bhp) support vessels will be 80 m (262 ft) long, 16.5 m (54 ft) wide, with a draft of 3.8 m (12.5 ft), and will be diesel direct drive, ice-class, and Volga Don Canal compliant, with FiFi1 and DP-2 capabilities. They will each be able to handle a crew of 24.

The multi-purpose duty-rescue vessel will have around 6,000 bhp, and will be 80 m (262 ft) long, 16.5 m (54 ft) wide, with a draft of 4.2 m (13.8 ft), and the same technical specifications. Additionally, it will be equipped for oil spill collection and storage, with cabins for 24 persons and temporary accommodation for 125 rescued persons.