AUGUST 5, 2013—Australia's Incat Tasmania Pty Ltd has secured a contract to build a high-speed 70-meter-long crew support vessel for offshore oil operations in the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan.  

The contract was signed yesterday in Baku Azerbaijan by Incat Chairman Robert Clifford and representatives of Caspian Marine Services.

Clifford said  "At 70 meters length and 30-knot speed, we expect this will be the largest fast crew transport vessel operating in the global oil industry and Incat envisage an expanding market for this type of vessel."  At 70 meters, the crewboat would be about 230 feet in length and be built from aluminum and designed as a catamaran.

The crewboat would be delivered at the end of September 2014. The design work is well advanced, says IncatTasmania, with materials and equipment on order. Construction of the boat is expected to start later this month.  

The vessel will be delivered via the Volga-Don Canal to the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan.