A dive support vessel has returned to service after a £60million investment by its owners.
The upgrade on the Helix Well Ops vessel was carried out at the Damen yard in Vlissingen in the Netherlands.
It took around eight-and-a-half months to complete and was followed by extensive sea trials.
The vessel was originally launched 30 years ago at the Pallion Yard in Sunderland by North East shipbuilders.
The 114-metre long vessel was the first in a series of vessels to feature electrical propulsion.
The vessel has already entered more than 650 wells, decommissioned more than 150 live and suspended wells, including 15 subsea fields.
It has also undertaken work at the Magnus field, as well as the Arkwright field, where the world’s first wireline intervention on a horizontal subsea tree was completed.
Steve Nairn, Helix Well Ops (UK) vice president, said: “MSV Seawell has provided an important and invaluable contribution to the North Sea oil and gas industry over the past three decades. It was the first vessel of its kind and has delivered many firsts throughout its career.
“The light well intervention sector has evolved in line with this reliable and popular vessel. Its specification and capabilities have helped the vessel become respected in the North Sea, and more recently further afield. Time and again, MSV Seawell has demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of utilising a vessel to deliver light well intervention services compared to a rig.
“Refitting MSV Seawell has been a major undertaking and one that underlines Helix Well Ops’ commitment to the North Sea marketplace, and having a robust and capable fleet of vessels, which includes Well Enhancer and Skandi Constructor, to service it. The investment ensures this iconic vessel will continue to pioneer a market it has helped shape.”
Six new Roll Royce Bergen generator sets have replaced obsolete Hedemora generators which had powered the vessel since it was built.
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