The Ramform Atlas needs to be one of many strangest-looking ships ever constructed. It is one in every of two new vessels within the Ramform Titan class of 3D seismic survey vessels belonging to Petroleum Geo-Services, an Oslo-based seismic information acquisition firm.

Its distinctive design, harking back to the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars, was developed with one single function in thoughts – amassing the utmost quantity of seismic information rapidly, safely and reliably.

The ‘Ramform’ hull form, first developed in 1995, includes a huge again deck that’s ‘perfect’ for putting in and towing seismic gear. The Ramform Titan class, the most important Ramform vessels but, are designed with 70-meter beam and 24 reals for a capability of as much as 22 streamers.

Today, there are a complete of ten Ramform vessels in operation world wide. Ramform Atlas, together with sister vessel Ramform Titan, had been launched in 2013 and one other two Titan-class vessels might be launched in 2015, in response to the PGS web site.

Here’s the vessel with its Ramform Atlas with its helipad lit up because it awaits the arrival a helicopter for the medical evacuation of a crewmember earlier this month off the coast of Spain.

Photos courtesy Salvamento Maritimo (second two) and PGC (first three)

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