Normand Master

Delivered by Ulstein Verft in March 2003. With her 23,500 horsepower diesel engine and a bollard pull of more than 280 tonnes, the vessel experienced great demand after delivery, ranking among the most powerful anchor handlers in the industry.

Three more ships of the same design had previously been delivered from Ulstein, the sister vessel "Normand Mariner", and also two for Olympic Shipping. 
"When the largest and most expensive rigs are to be moved there are great values at stake and the oil companies want anchor handlers with large engine power and the best crews", commented the shipbroker Sølve Høyrem at Westshore Brokers, as all four vessels proved to be very attractive in the North Sea. "In addition to power, the ULSTEIN A101 vessels also have other attractive features. They have large chain lockers with high capacity and the ability to handle fiber hawsers, which are specifications few anchor handlers can offer."

Milestones

2006: BONANZA IN NORTH SEA SUPPLY MARKET With few idle vessels and a surge in demand for anchor handling, subsea and supply ships, the North Sea supply vessel market experienced record-high rates, creating a mad scramble for available ships on the spot market. On September 6, the 'Normand Master' closed a record-high rate on the spot market. The vessel was hired by the company Team Marine on a short-term contract. The day rate was set at a phenomenal GBP 120,000, or about NOK 1,440,000, netting the shipowner a profit of well over NOK 1 million a day -- enough to pay off the vessel in one year. 

2017: Still active - IMO 9266451

From June 2017, Deep Sea Supply, Solstad Shipping and Farstad Shipping became one joint shipowning company, from 1 October 2018 the joint company is named Solstad Offshore.