Vector Offshore were once a major player in the standby vessel business, but those involved sold up and retired, until the arrival of the Jigsaw Project for BP. They had the idea of supporting the helicopter part of the operation with large supply vessels which would carry smaller vessels which would be launched, pick up the people in the water and then return to the supply/standby vessel. The trick was that if the small craft could not be recovered to the mother ship it would be able to make its way to the shore - from the middle of the North Sea. BP had promised that who-ever came up with a good idea for supporting Jigsaw would be able to carry on working for them. Hence the revival of Vector, managing the four very large ships, and eight small craft which now make up the marine part of Jigsaw.

There is much written about Jigsaw elsewhere on this site.

News items about this company include a misfortune in Aberdeen when one of the ships demolished one or two small fishing vessels during a move between berths. Well it happens, and also the fitting of DP II systems to all the vessels. I don't know whether the events are connected. (May 2012)

On September 1st 2013 the contract for the management of these ships was awarded to Bibby Offshore and so it may be that Vector have retired from the fray. Also it has been in the news that BP have order at least two platform ships which will also be managed by this organisation. In view of the transient nature of the management of this fleet I have decided to list them under BP, who are after all the owners. The ship information has been improved.

At the time of the 2014 review nothing had changed, except that there are still occasional reports of these vessel being seen in drydock having stuff done to them. 

Reviewed 22nd October 2014 - there will be no further changes to this page.