As part of the refit, the Speer has had its moonpool design opened up, enabling it to be fitted with a fully heave-compensated offshore geotechnical drilling rig and deep-water seabed CPT unit, the GMC201.

GMC201 is a 20t seabed unit designed to conduct an array of in-situ tests in either shallow or deep water. It is designed with class-leading capabilities in the speed of deployment, providing the fastest possible turnarounds and therefore greatly reduced operating costs.

The seabed system is deployed through the vessel's moonpool using a dedicated launch and recovery system.

Geoquip Speer was the second DP2 multipurpose offshore support vessel to be added to Geoquip Marine's fleet in 2019 following the Geoquip Saentis. Formerly MV Cristal, the Geoquip Speer was built in 2010, has a gross weight of 3504t and is 84m in length.

With the refit completed Geoquip Speer joins four other specialised geotechnical vessels on Geoquip Marine's permanent fleet and has already been contracted for its first assignment, undertaking seabed CPT work for the largest offshore wind farm development in the US.