Skip to main content
19th to 21st of May 2026
19th, 20th & 21st
MAY 2026

- CONFIRMED DATES -

Oil companies will order 190 floatels within three years with Galicia as example

The gas and oil search in the sea shoot up orders as the Pemex ones At the same time that the world search for new sources of oil and gas increase in deep sea, and at the same time that the prospection areas are objectives bigger every time, there is an increasing need of disposing of last technology vessels able to host a lot of workers during extended periods of time far from the coast.

The are called floatel or accommodation vessels, in more strict terms of shipbuilding, a multi-use kind of vessel able to host a lot of workers as well as do repair works and other auxiliary activities of the oil and gas extraction process.

According an Infield Global Systems Specialist report regarding market perspectives for the shipbuilding, the oil, gas and marine wind energy industries have foreseen to hire 190 accommodation vessels within next three years.

In this potential market, Galician shipyards have the advantage of the experience in this kind of vessels, due to the Hijos de J. Barreras satisfactory experience - that in 2011 delivered the first floatel made by a Spanish shipyard for Norway- that has been decisive for the contract of two units for the Oil Company Pemex to deliver in 2015

Specialised shipyards
"there are some shipyards that have developed similar projects, in Norway, Holland or Singapore, but there are not too much all around the world" explain naval sources.
Apart from the North Sea, main markets where demand of this kind of vessels is higher are in Brazil encouraged by the logistic needs of Petrobras, and Mexico, due to Pemex need of solve technical difficulties to maintain the production and improve their off-shore installation. "Update their exploitation headquarters means more personnel and floatels to host them", explain sector sources, the Mexican company confirmed this week that they will substitute 132 different function vessels within next three years, with an initial investment of more than 600 millions Dollars.
Units of their mayor fleet (supplying vessels and off-shore platforms, included two floatels ordered to Galicia) will being built until the end of 2015, and the minor fleet, destined to the refine division, will be renewed between 2013 and 2014.
Other promising markets for the business able to generate this kind of vessels are Australia, Southeast of Asia, and Western Africa.
While this market take off for shipyards, from more than 20 accommodation platforms working all around the world, almost the half part are in the North Sea, carried on by the oil Norwegian industry that in the last year have order 170 vessels to its shipyards. (Source: La Voz de Galicia)