ASV Pioneer to Work on Costa Concordia Salvage Operation (Italy)

Ferguson Group’s accommodation service vessel, ASV Pioneer, has been deployed in the Mediterranean Sea on a six-month contract with Titan-Micoperi in support of the Costa Concordia Salvage operation.

The Ferguson Group specialists in the rental of containers, accommodation modules and engineering modules to the offshore energy industry took delivery of their first accommodation service vessel during 2011, which has now secured its second contract since launch.

The ASV Pioneer provides an accommodation complex including 2 person cabins complete with en-suite facilities, galley, mess, Gym, medical and recreational facilities, manufactured to DNV 2.7-1/EN12079 standards. In addition the vessel provides a large working open deck area measuring 1100m2 with a load capacity of 15 tonnes/m2.

The new contract, with Titan-Micoperi, is for the ASV Pioneer to provide a support role to the salvage operation including provision of accommodation for up to 90 team members, plus deck space for specialist equipment for the salvage operation. Titan Salvage with their partner Micoperi, are industry leaders in global salvage response and are involved in the removal of the wreck of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, which partially sank in January 2012 after hitting a reef off the Italian coast and running aground at Isola del Giglio.

Graham Cowperthwaite, Executive Director of the Ferguson Group said: “The ASV Pioneer is the first accommodation service vessel launched by the Ferguson Group and the team are very pleased with securing this latest contract, which once again demonstrates the flexibility of the Pioneer as a vessel that can be used for various tasks in several Industry sectors providing high quality accommodation and ample deck space.

“With the ASV Pioneer having previously supported a renewables contract in the North Sea and now being involved in supporting a salvage operation in the Mediterranean Sea, it is proving to be a versatile and flexible vessel. Going forward we envisage securing contracts covering a variety of projects that make best use of the vessel’s mix of accommodation and open deck configuration.”