Norway's Equinor Extends Havila Troll Charter to 2027

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 21, Norway's Havila Shipping secured a contract extension with Equinor Energy for an offshore rescue and recovery vessel. Equinor exercised the one-year option on the Havila Troll, extending the vessel's service period from November 2026 to November 2027. The contract also retains two one-year options, which, if fully exercised, could extend the term to November 2029.

The long-term cooperation between the Havila Troll and Equinor began in 2017. At that time, Equinor, still operating under the name Statoil, signed contracts with Havila Shipping and Simon Møkster Shipping for four emergency response and rescue vessels, with a fixed term of seven years. Each contract included five one-year options, with a total value of approximately NOK 2.7 billion. The contract for the Havila Troll began in November 2017, linking to the existing charter, and three option periods have been exercised in 2024, 2025, and with this latest extension.

These vessels are integrated into Equinor's regional emergency preparedness system on the Norwegian continental shelf, working in coordination with a 24-hour onshore operations center and offshore search and rescue helicopters to provide rescue, medical evacuation, firefighting, emergency towing, and oil spill response services for oil and gas facilities. Offshore emergency vessels are typically required to remain on standby in designated operational areas to reach the scene quickly in the event of a platform incident, vessel loss of control, or marine pollution event.

The Havila Troll was built in 2003, designed with the UT 527 hull type, measuring 92.4 meters in overall length and 17.98 meters in beam, flying the Norwegian flag. The vessel is equipped with dynamic positioning, first and second class firefighting, oil spill recovery, and helicopter deck capabilities, enabling it to perform offshore firefighting, towing, personnel search and rescue, and pollution control missions. The vessel can accommodate 12 crew members and 8 passengers, and has the capacity to temporarily receive 320 rescued persons.

As of the end of June 2026, Havila Shipping operates 12 vessels, including 8 platform supply vessels, 3 subsea vessels, and 1 rescue and recovery vessel, with a fleet utilization rate of 99.3% in the second quarter. The Havila Troll is the only rescue and recovery vessel in its operating fleet. The company reported charter revenue of NOK 139.9 million in the second quarter, with EBITDA of NOK 59.4 million.