Sales of offshore support vessels topped $2.8bn in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 50%, according to figures compiled by VesselsValue.

While the value of deals was higher, the number of OSVs sold last year was 16% lower than the 323 vessels sold in 2022, reflecting the rising asset prices.

There was an increase in the value of OSVs sold, but overall sales in the offshore vessel sector, including construction of vessels and drilling rigs, saw a 26% year-on-year decline to $5.2bn,