PETRONAS-licensed provider of products and services to the Oil & Gas and Petrochemical Industries, Alkahfi Lestari Oil & Gas Sdn Bhd is riding the high waves as it is set to introduce two brand new fast crewboats that will further spice up Malaysia’s offshore oil and gas industry.
To be launched in September, the Flex-42X crewboats (the 42-metre aluminium multi-role crewboats) are capable of transporting offshore workers and oilfield cargo at a speed of up to 30 knots – making them the fastest mid-sized crewboats in the world.
Alkahfi Lestari chief executive officer Mohd Nazri Mohd Zain said the new crewboats, named Alkahfi Care and Alkahfi Courage, bring to the market new levels of speed and comfort.
Mohd Nazri explained that the brand new crewboats, exclusively built by its partner Singapore-based Penguin Shipyard, feature a proven hullform adapted from fast ferries, active ride control interceptors and 4350 BHP of horsepower supplied by three Caterpillar C32 ACERT main engines.
A crewboat is a high-speed workboat, typically built with marine grade aluminium, with an enclosed air-conditioned passenger seating area and open cargo deck area.
Crewboats are the main mode of transport for the offshore oil and gas industry around the world. They complement, and in most cases substitute, the use of helicopters.
Alkahfi Lestari has been one of the leading crewboats ship managers in Malaysia today. Established in 2012, the company began offering such services in 2015.
Today, it owns six crewboats serving companies like Petronas Carigali and Repsol, among others. Besides that, it also operates 10 others crewboats in cooperation with their partner.
Other features of Alkahfi Care and Alkahfi Courage are:
• 80 reclining business class seats with more than 1,000 mm seat pitch, offering the most generous leg room among crewboats in Malaysia.
• Accommodation of up to ship’s crew
• 80,000 litres of fuel capacity and 20,000 litres of fresh water capacity
• 11-metre square cargo deck
• External fire-fighting monitor
• Electronic Fuel Management System for remote tracking of fuel consumption from the shore
• Multiple CCTV cameras insie and outside for maximum security coverage
• Ample natural lighting for passengers and crew on the main deck and below main deck
• Forward windows on the main passenger deck – a feature not found in mid-sized crewboats but common in European passenger ferries
Noting that most existing crewboats run at a speed of 25 knots today, Mohd Nazri said that with the new crewboats will cut the travelling time by 20%.
