Norwegian vessel owner and operator Eidesvik Offshore has struck a deal with Belgian marine contractor DEME for the sale of the 2015-built construction support vessel Viking Neptun. The sale is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of 2022, following the completion of the ongoing contract with Havfram.
. The sale is expected to complete in the fourth quarter of 2022, following the completion of the ongoing contract with Eidesvik said it expects to reverse around NOK240m ($27.1m) in previous impairments on the vessel in the Q4 2021 results and to book a gain of about $17m at the completion of the sale. Following the sale, Eidesvik’s liquidity position is expected to improve by approximately $37.5m.
Gitte Gard Talmo, president and CEO of Eidesvik Offshore, commented: “The sale will considerably strengthen the company’s financial position, and enable us to reinforce our strategic focus on pioneering new emissions-reducing technologies in our fleet. Our spearhead vessel projects are attracting significant interest in the market and we will continue to develop our offerings of climate and environmentally friendly solutions to offshore vessel operations.”
Hugo Bouvy, managing director of DEME Offshore, added: “The high-tech vessel has a proven track record of delivering high performance and is a great addition to our offshore fleet. Eidesvik and DEME share a complementary focus on pushing for more environmentally friendly operations and we will also investigate opportunities for further cooperation between our two companies.”
Eidesvik and DEME are also said to be discussing potential alternatives for Eidesvik and/or its crew to provide management services to DEME for the vessel after the transaction is completed.
