Page 16: of Marine Technology Magazine (April 2006)

16 MTR April 2006 vessels

Merwede Shipyard received a contract for the design and construction of a new Pipe

Laying/Offshore Construction vessel for

Subsea 7. Delivery is scheduled for the sec- ond quarter of 2008. The pipe laying equip- ment will be designed and built by Huisman

Itrec. Subsea 7 said the overall project cost is estimated to be in the range of $170-200 million, depending on options exercised. The ship has been designed by Merwede Shipyard in close concert with Subsea 7 and the pipe- lay spread manufacturer. It will be designed and built to be a fully Dynamic Positioned

Pipe Laying/Offshore Construction Vessel, suitable for worldwide operation. Its pipe lay equipment will include a vertical lay system with top tension capability in excess of 400 tons, combined with a storage capacity for flexible pipe based on two 1,250-ton carousels below deck and a 3,000-ton carousel or multiple reels on deck. The vessel will have a 400 ton deepwater crane, a built- in deepwater ROV spread and a comprehen- sive survey system.

The vertical lay tower is also designed to enable operation in J-lay mode for rigid pipe and the ability to install large structures asso- ciated with deepwater riser systems. The ship will have a 6.6kV integrated electric power generation system and propulsion by three electromotor driven fixed pitch propellers in azimuthing nozzles aft. Two retractable

Azimuth thrusters will be fitted in the for- ward part of the vessel; one transverse thruster will be arranged in a tunnel forward.

The ship will be a fully Dynamic

Positioned Pipe Laying/Offshore

Construction Vessel, suitable for worldwide operation.

The vertical lay tower is also designed to enable operation in J-lay mode for rigid pipe and the ability to install large structures asso- ciated with deepwater riser systems.

Subsea 7 has options to have the vessel delivered with both of these capabilities fully operational.

Subsea 7 Orders Pipelay Vessel

Main Particulars

Length, o.a. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151 m

Length, bpp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138.3 m

Breadth, molded 28.4 m

Depth, maindeck molded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12.5 m

Draft, design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7.5 m

Draft, scantling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 m

Deadweight (w/Payload),scantling draft . .13,699 MT

Complement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Classification . . . . . . . . .Lloyd's Register of Shipping

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