Norwegian offshore vessel owner DOF has reached an agreement with Aurora Offshore to acquire the latter’s Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels “Aurora Saltfjord” and “Aurora Sandefjord”.
The net investment in this transaction is approximately US$100 million, of which US$30 million is expected to be paid in cash and the remaining US$70 million will be financed through existing debt.
The sale of the “Skandi Laser” is expected to generate approximately US$12 million in revenue. Delivery to the new owner is anticipated in May 2026, with the DOF continuing to manage and operate the vessel. The vessel has recently been engaged in underwater engineering projects and spot market operations in West Africa.
Both the “Aurora Saltfjord” and “Aurora Sandefjord” were built in 2011 and have a bollard pulling force of nearly 400 tons, placing them among the world’s most powerful anchoring tugs. They are expected to be delivered in April, June, or July 2026, respectively. At that time, the “Aurora” prefix will be removed from the names of the two vessels and replaced with the DOF standard naming prefix “Skandi”.
Mons S. Aase, CEO of DOF Group, commented: “Through these transactions, we further enhance DOF’s position as a leading player in the high-end AHTS market. This is a vessel segment which is core to our strategy of being a leading player for mooring projects globally, and Skandi Saltfjord and Skandi Sandefjord will add valuable capacity to deliver integrated offshore services to our clients.
“The AHTS market has lagged the broader subsea vessel market somewhat, and we now see clear signs that the AHTS market is catching up driven by strong demand across geographies. We already have project backlog for Skandi Skansen in 2027, showing that clients are securing this type of critical capacity earlier than previously, and we further see a strong pipeline of prospects that suit high-end AHTS vessels.”