“Heerema Marine Contractors is known for its strong and successful position as offshore construction contractor. A new generation, deepwater construction vessel is needed to meet the demands of the national and international oil companies. Market developments and needs from customers, as well as our current market position are strong drivers behind the decision to proceed with the design of a new vessel,” explains John Reed, the Chief Executive Officer.
The design of the vessel will begin immediately and will be fast-tracked. A tender to select the best shipbuilding yard, which will likely be in Korea or China, will take place in the near future. The new vessel will be able to work in the Arctic.
The size of the vessel will be approximately 220m x 88m. The lift capacity of the cranes has to be determined, but will at least be comparable to the capacity of the Thialf. The dual crane capacity of Thialf, the largest crane vessel in the world and part of HMC’s fleet, is 14,200 tons.
The investment will be financed from internally generated funds, augmented by traditional bank financing and private equity.
-Ulstein Verft AS has won an order to build an Ulstein SX121 offshore construction vessel with 150t offshore crane for shipping contractor Eidesvik Offshore ASA. The ship is designed by Ulstein Design AS and is scheduled for delivery in November 2008. The contract is worth about NOK 650 million (Eur 79m). The ship is 120m long, 25m wide and features an ROV garage, helideck and unusual X-Bow design.
-In October, IHC Holland Merwede has announced plans to build a deepwater construction vessel with 140t/70t capacity heave-compensated crane, 160t crane and 300t-capacity winch for contractor Superior Offshore International. The 130m-long vessel will be built in Krimpen, Netherlands and delivered in mid-2008. It will also include a 12-person saturation diving chamber.
– In August, shipbuilder Aker Yards announced it is building an offshore construction barge with 250t capacity crane for offshore ship contractor client DOFCON, scheduled for completion in early 2008, at its Soviknes, Norway yard. The 118m-long vessel will have anti-heave compensation system DP Class 3.