Norwegian company DOF Subsea has taken delivery of its latest construction vessel from Aker Yards and immediately deployed it on an eight-year charter with subsea group Acergy.
Skandi Acergy ranks among the world’s most advanced subsea construction vessels in its class. The 157m ship is designed to work in water depths to 3,000m (10,000ft) and its main crane has a 400-tonne lifting capacity. The crane installations (all three cranes, winch systems, wires, and power packs) weigh more than a typical North Sea platform supply vessel, according to Aker.
The vessel has three moonpools, the largest of which is the work moonpool amidships. The other pools are located to port and starboard, inside the ROV hangar. These are designed to facilitate remotely operated vehicle operations in operationally viable weather conditions.
Skandi Acergy is equipped for DP3 dynamic positioning operations and Aker says that one of the main machinery compartments can be flooded or knocked out by fire without forcing the vessel out of service. Maximum transit speed is 19 knots. The Rolls-Royce UT 767 CDL class vessel has accommodation for 140 persons. Its first assignment is on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.
Meanwhile, the orders keep rolling in at Aker Yards, including a contract with Island Offshore for another well intervention vessel. It will be based on the same design as Island Wellserver, delivered from Aker Yards earlier this year. The ship will be equipped for operations in the North Sea market especially, and worldwide generally. Delivery is scheduled for Q3 2011. DOF has also placed further orders, this time for a trio of anchor-handlers to be built by Aker at its facility in Brazil.
All the vessels will be of Aker Yards’ own design and equipped for operations in the Brazilian market. The three ships are scheduled for delivery at the end of 2010, mid-2011 and towards the end of 2011, respectively.
Two of the vessels will be built to the 95m AH 12 design, which takes account of the latest equipment to facilitate safe anchor-handling and towage operations, such as the largest AHTS winches, cargorail cranes with manipulators and new systems for handling rig anchors at stern. In order to obtain a flexible and optimised utilisation of machinery, the vessels will be provided with a hybrid propulsion system, combining well proven conventional diesel engines, direct driven reduction gearboxes and CP propellers with a diesel-electric system. Designed bollard pull will be some 300 tonnes and each of the vessels will have accommodation for 60 persons. The third vessel is of Aker Yards’ AH 05 design and is 74m. It will offer a bollard pull of 147 tonnes nominal and crew accommodation for 38 persons.
Across in south-east Asia, Keppel of Singapore has secured a $181million contract to build a multipurpose heavylift/pipelay vessel for Romanian contractor Grup Servicii Petroliere SA (GSP).
To be classed by the American Bureau of Shipping, this vessel will be designed and built to meet international environmental standards. GSP’s new vessel is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2011 and will be deployed to the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions.
With accommodation for up to 290 persons, the heavylift/pipelay vessel will be equipped with three offshore cranes, the largest of which will have a lifting capacity of 1,800 tonnes. It will also be fitted with a 10-point mooring anchor system. The machinery package will feature three Voith Schneider propellers for main propulsion, five retractable azimuth thrusters for positioning and a Class 3 certified dynamic positioning system.
GSP is a member of the Upetrom Group, a privately owned company. Headquartered in Constanta Harbour, Romania, GSP is a regional leader in offshore drilling, providing a wide range of drilling and drilling connected services, engineering solutions and technical consultancy.
Finally, Singapore Technologies Marine has won a $127.7million contract to build and outfit a 107m dive support vessel for a customer registered in Singapore. Construction is planned to begin in January, 2009, with delivery mid-2010.