Tertnes was build to serve her owner Jebsens as a self unloading bulk carrier.
She was named after the commune just north of the city of Bergen, Norway, well known for its handball team.

Tertnes is able to transport a total cargo of approximately 10,000 tons.
With her own conveyor belt system Tertnes is able to discharge it's cargo with 1,000 t/hr.

In 1992 Tertnes was converted into a flexible fallpipe vessel (ffpv) by Van Oord ACZ for offshore rock dumping provisions, like her sister vessel Trollnes was converted succesfully before.
The vessel was extended by approximately 12 meters and the accommodation was converted to hold 46 persons.
Midships a tower construction was placed holding a 320 hp Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). 
After this conversion Tertnes was able to place rock accurately on the seabed to protect pipelines
and umbilicals.

1998 was the year Tertnes was converted to a dedicated DP-2 vessel (DP = dynamic positioning).
The old ADP-701 DP-system was replaced with the newer and more sophisticated SPD-21 DP-system.
Two retractable azimuth thrusters were mounted too. It was also the year the Tertnes changed from owner
and started sailing under Dutch flag.

Since the conversion in 1992 the ffpv Tertnes has dumped millions of tons of rock on the seabed. The vessel has been working offshore on the North Sea mainly, but also in the Irish Sea, the Straits of Gibraltar and in Las Palmas.

August 2003: A total of 5 million tons of rock and sand has been dumped by the vessel. 2003 also was the year when Van Oord ACZ acquired Ballast Ham Dredging to continue their combined operations under the name Van Oord.
A depth record was set in the Mediterranean Sea in May 2004 when rocks were placed at a depth of 887 meters.
In the second half of 2004 several hundred thousands tons of rock have been installed (instead of dumped)
on the Ormen Lange Project in Norwegian waters of upto 830 meters.