Table 12. Some Vessels Used in Offshore Petroleum 

 Recovery Activities 



Type of Vessel Description 



Crew For personnel transport; high speed boats 



Utility/supply General maintenance and movement of 



light-weight equipment and cargo. 



Supply For transport of bulk cargo. 



Utility Maintenance and general work. 



Tug Light to heavy towing. 



Tug-supply Moderate towing and transport of 



portable equipment and cargo. 



Crew/utility For personnel transfer and general work. 



Crew/supply For transfer of personnel and equipment. 



Existing boatyards in the adjacent onshore region may experience 

 increased activity for repair and maintenance of the fleet of vessels 

 associated with offshore drilling. An increased level of business can 

 also be expected for welding and machine shops, caterers, and transport 

 companies. 



Most of the United States onshore support operations are located on 



or near the Gulf of Mexico because the OCS business started there. However, 



this location is not a constraint in supplying equipment for OCS 



utilization on a worldwide basis. For example, there are ten shipyards 



in the United States which have the capability to construct and service 



offshore mobile exploratory rigs. Five shipyards are located in Texas, 



at Beaumont, Brownsville, Orange, Galveston, and Ingleside; one each in 



New Orleans, Mobile, and Vicksburg; and two on the Pacific Coast at 



Takoma and Oakland. The scale of the rig-building industry is indicated 



by the fact that in mid-1975, the value of rigs under construction 



exceeded $1.0 billion. Shipyards for the construction and maintenance 



of support craft, including survey boats, are likewise clustered around 



the Gulf Coast. , .^ 



1 3b 



