Latest 4-vessel order is the third in a row from established Malaysian operators

Strategic Marine's 40m Gen3 Fast Crew Boat (“FCB”) designed by Southerly Designs of Australia in collaboration with Strategic Marine, is fast emerging as a favourite among marine services providers. A four-vessel order from new client Surya Nautika, an established Malaysian operator, is the latest in a string of recent orders.

The latest contract for the popular model will see the vessels being delivered to the licensed Petronas contractor progressively from the first quarter of 2023.

Surya Nautika, provides marine transportation and offshore support services for the Malaysian offshore oil and gas industry, with prominent clients which include Petronas, Shell and ExxonMobil. The company currently owns and operates a fleet of seven crew boats and the new orders will combine both expansion and a fleet renewal programme aimed at making Surya one of the largest crewboat operators in Malaysia. Surya Nautika also provides diving and engineering services in Malaysia and is currently investing in a new saturation diving system and ROVs for their subsea business.

Surya Nautika’s Managing Director, Muhamad Faez Bin Ab Gani commented: “We are delighted to be continuing our relationship with Strategic Marine and continue to be impressed by Strategic Marine’s professionalism and the quality of their products; we hope to continue to develop this relationship.

Our FCB fleet will now expand to 10 ships during the course of next year which we expect to enable us to achieve economies of scale and to provide a wider range of services to our clients in the future. We look forward to collaborating further with Strategic Marine and hope to place additional orders in the near future.”

Strategic Marine's and Southerly Designs’ FCBs are renowned for their market leading performance and superior seakeeping, gaining extensive positive feedback from experienced operators all around the world, and have a substantial record in Malaysia. This latest order is the third order for these vessels from Malaysian operators.

Strategic Marine General Manager, Commercial, Wayne Poh said: “We are thankful and humbled by the confidence from the Surya Nautika team for this opportunity to support their fleet expansion plan and look forward to delivering these vessels in accordance with their expectations.”

The new vessel is designed to meet the specific requirements of global oil majors and will feature, amongst others, a remote-controlled water monitor with a capacity of 1200m³/hr, making it fully equipped to carry out external fire-fighting roles and safety standby duties.

The three Caterpillar C32 engines driving fixed pitch propellors provide the Fast Crew Boat with a robust and efficient propulsion system. Meanwhile, station-keeping and maneuvering capability is enhanced by a tunnel thruster installed at the bow.

Internally the vessel will feature a large galley, and mess areas with dry store catering for a large crew with extended operational endurance. The passenger saloon offers 80 comfortable reclining seats arranged with either single or twin seats in each row to provide additional space and privacy.

The aft deck has a large clear area of 120m² with deck strength of 2t/m². The vessel cargo fuel capacity is 70m³ and cargo freshwater capacity is 30m³ allowing for extended endurance operations at sea.

Strategic Marine also provide service and maintenance, fabrication and engineering, marine logistics services and financial services and solutions for its products – providing a complete turnkey, asset lifecycle solution for its clients.