Eighteen expensive anchor-handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels are waiting for work in Norway’s Bergen harbour this week — a record-breaking number representing around NOK 13bn ($2.17bn)-worth of ships sitting idle.

Low demand means overall in the North Sea a total of 35 AHTS vessels were sitting idle at TradeWinds’ press time, with 19 of those on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) and 16 on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS).

Many