Anchor handling tug supply vessels are the heavyweights of the offshore support fleet. They tow mobile drilling units between locations, deploy and recover anchor systems for drilling rigs and semi-submersibles, and supply installations in the same way platform supply vessels do.
Anchor handling is one of the most physically demanding and operationally complex activities in commercial maritime work. The people who do it develop a specific set of skills that are genuinely scarce in the industry.
**What the Work Actually Involves**
A semi-submersible drilling rig on location is held in position by a spread mooring system. Eight to twelve anchors positioned around the rig, each attached to a chain and wire system that connects back to the rig’s winches.
When the rig needs to move to a new location, the anchors must be recovered. An AHTS vessel picks up each anchor wire, takes it onto its own winch, steams in the direction of the anchor and lifts the anchor from the seabed over the vessel’s stern roller. This is anchor recovery.
The reverse process, laying the anchors in the correct pattern at the new location, is anchor deployment. The AHTS positions the anchors in a specific configuration and the rig’s winches take the load.
Both operations happen in whatever weather conditions exist at the time. Anchor handling in Force 8 conditions in the North Sea is not unusual. The stern deck of an AHTS during anchor handling is one of the more hazardous working environments in maritime operations.
**The Crew Who Do This**
Deck officers and ratings on AHTS vessels manage the anchor handling equipment from the bridge and on the working deck simultaneously. The bridge team controls the vessel’s position relative to the rig and the anchor location. The deck team manages the equipment on the working deck.
AB and bosun level crew on AHTS vessels typically earn above standard OSV rates because the anchor handling risk profile is higher. Senior AHTS officers earn toward the top of the offshore support vessel salary range.
**Physical Requirements**
Working deck operations during anchor handling require physical capability and genuine attention to hazards. Wire under tension, heavy chain moving across the deck, equipment that can injure or kill if it catches a person. The AHTS working deck during anchor operations is a place where situational awareness is a survival skill.
Pre-employment medicals for AHTS positions are thorough. Operators want to know that candidates are physically capable of the work and will not be a liability during operations.
**Pay**
AB on AHTS: $3,500 to $5,500 per month on rotation.
Senior officer: $9,000 to $14,000 per month.
Master on North Sea AHTS: $13,000 to $18,000 per month.
The premium over standard PSV rates is real and reflects the operational demands. AHTS work is consistently better compensated than equivalent PSV work because fewer people are prepared or able to do it at the required standard.
**Getting In**
Standard PSV or offshore support experience is the typical starting point before AHTS work. Operators placing candidates in AHTS positions prefer people with some offshore deck operations background rather than those transitioning directly from deep-sea cargo ships.
BOSIET and the standard offshore certificates apply. Some operators require additional deck equipment training specific to anchor handling systems.
The North Sea AHTS market is competitive for good candidates. West African and Southeast Asian markets have lower competition and serve as stepping stones for building the AHTS experience record that makes North Sea applications viable.