This vessel was originally built as an OSV, an Offshore Supply Vessel by Aukra-Bruk A/S, Aukra, Norway in their Molde shipyard under hull No.: 054. Lloyd's Register No.: 7382433. The keel was laid in June 1974 and she was launched as SEAWAY DEVON on 01.03.1975. On 21.06.1975 the vessel was delivered to her owners K/S Seaway Supply & Support Ships A/S & Co. Oslo and the management was done by Stolt-Nielsen R/A, Haugesund, Norway. The SEAWAY DEVON was registered under Norwegian flag in Oslo (GRT: 498, NRT: 183, DWT: 925, Official No.: 8548, Call sign: LAEY).
Already in 1976 she was converted into a DSV, a Diving Support Vessel by Ulstein Halto A/S, Ulsteinvik, Norway and renamed SEAWAY HAWK. The Norwegian flag was retained, but the home port changed to Haugesund (GRT: 644, NRT: 187, DWT: 925). At this occasion the 30 mt SWL hydraulic A-frame and the various cranes were installed.
In 1982 the vessel was purchased by Progemar (Société Provencale de Gestion Maritime), Marseille and the management was allocated to Les Abeilles International et Compagnie, Dunkerque. Renamed ABEILLE SUPPORTER and registered under French flag with home port Lorient (GRT: 1046, NRT: 338, DWT: 925, Official No.: 46614/615, Call sign: FUAN).
On 14.10.1997 the ABEILLE SUPPORTER refloated with the assistance of 2 harbour tugs the stranded Panamanian cargo ship CAPETAN TZANNIS (9093 / 71). The vessel was stranded in strong winds off Bayonne and was towed to safety into the port of Bilbao.
In 2000 the vessel was sold to the DGA Délégation Générale à l'Armement (French Navy), which allocated the management to NTA, Jouy-en-Josas, Paris on 19.07.2000. The same day the technical management was subcontracted to ABCmaritime, Nyon Switzerland. A few days later, on 26.07.2000 the vessel was renamed AQUITAINE EXPLORER and registered in Bayonne.
The AQUITAINE EXPLORER operated under civilian regulations of the French Merchant Navy and the crew was supplied by a French crewing agency. She was stationed in the Navy base in Bayonne and her main task was to support the rocket test site "Centre d'essais des Landes" south of Bordeaux. The ship was engaged in target towing, recovery of rockets fired into the Bay of Biscay and the collection of their debris from the seabed for examination. For this purpose a ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) was installed on board.
The vessel was also used to assist ships in distress in the Bay of Biscay and she sailed out to sea on numerous occasions. One such incident happened in the morning of 13.06.2003 when the AQUITAINE EXPLORER received a distress call from the French flag product tanker CHASSIRON, which suffered an explosion in front of the bridge and a subsequent fire after sailing in ballast from Bayonne. One Senegalese sailor lost his life, the others remained unharmed. The AQUITAINE EXPLORER assisted the crew of the stricken vessel to extinguish the fire. Later the tanker could return to Bayonne under its own power (see also photos).
At the begin of 2009 the vessel was laid-up in Bayonne and on 28.08.2009 the commercial engagement of NTA, Paris and the technical management of ABCmaritime were terminated.
In June 2010 the vessel was sold to the Greek Spanopoulos Group S,A., Salamina, Greece, see also a company engaged in civil engineering and shipping (tugs, barges, crane vessels etc). First the vessel was registered under Panama flag under the name GREEK EXPLORER (Registered owner: Antzela NE, Panama. Official No.: 40844PEXT, call sign: 3FAW3), later by end of 2010 she was changed to Greek flag and renamed CHRISTOS XXIII (Call sign: SVA3835). Registered owner: IMS Christos XXIII SA, Majuro.
During 2010 and 2011 the vessel was rebuilt and converted back into a tug boat. Apparently a new towing winch was installed, allowing the tug a bollard pull of 100 tonnes. In December 2011 the vessel was registered again under the flag of Panama (call sign: HOKI). No name change was made.
Sold in December 2017 to Christos XXIII Spanopoulos S.A., Salamina. Flag: Greece managed by Spanopoulos Group S.A., Salamina.
In March 2020: Flag Panama, Official No.: n.a. Callsign HP4110.
Towed from Paloukia in November 2022 for demolition to Aliağa by tugboat CHRISTOS XXXIX (MMSI 237082100) and arrived at Aliağa scrapyard on November 14, 2022.
Additional Information and Stories
ROV, Remote Operated Vehicle
These were first used in the sixties and today are widely used for commercial and scientific task's, especially in the offshore oil industry where they have become irreplaceable. ROV's are basically a type of unmanned submarine, connected by a cable (the umbilical or tether) to the "mother ship" and controlled by the operators on board.
The two main categories are ROV's for survey/inspection and for underwater work. Commercial ROV's can operate in water depths of up to 2500 to 3000 m, for deeper water depths scientific ROV's are generally employed. The main constraint for the construction of ROV's is the water depth, with every additional 100 m water depth and the corresponding increase in water pressure, the construction will become more complicated and hence the manufacturing costs will increase. For more details see also www.rov.org
Updated in July 2012-HPS-SwissShips