Lay Tower News

Royal IHC has named and launched the 550t top tension capacity pipelay vessel, Seven Cruzeiro, at its shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel. This is the final pipelaying vessel in a series of three ordered by Subsea 7, and the naming ceremony was performed by Sally Rosa, wife of Ricardo Rosa, Chief Financial Officer, Subsea 7. In addition, the Seven Sun, launched on December 19, 2014 in Kinderdijk and the second vessel of this series, was officially named  by Lilian Camozzato, wife of Guilherme Camozzato, Director of Operations, Subsea 7 Brazil.

The largest component of the 120-meter J-Lay tower for one of the world’s biggest crane vessels, Saipem 7000, has been delivered by tug Fairmount Expedition offshore Burgas, Bulgaria. The tower component was loaded on Saipem’s cargo barge S42.   Oceangoing tug Fairmount Expedition towed the barge from Ravenna, Italy, nonstop to Bulgaria with an average speed of 8 knots. Subsequently, the Fairmount Expedition assisted during the offloading of the J-Lay tower. The barge S42 is 125 meters long and 30 meters in width, loaded with the J-lay tower weighing 3,407 tons.

As some pre-salt plays begin production, a wide range of subsea infrastructure is being built, with O&G transportation pipeline grids being one of the vital downstream systems. Saipem has been recipient of the first major contracts to install deepwater pre-salt pipelines by national operator Petrobras. Claudio Paschoa, Maritime Reporter’s correspondent in Brazil brings us an in-depth look at Saipem’s vessels and projects in Brazil. Saipem’s pipelaying segment is part of a unified Business Unit Engineering & Construction, an entity with more than 30,000 employees from more than 100 nationalities, with more than 60 permanent establishments and numerous project execution centers worldwide, which has maintained yearly revenues exceeding $13 billion.

Service provider to the oil and gas industry, UK-based Petrofac, confirms placement orders to build its new proprietary design Petrofac JSD 6000 deepwater derrick lay vessel, which will be available for construction and installation activities in early 2017. Petrofac inform that the vessel is based on a unique design which integrates the J-Lay, S-Lay and derrick functions and will provide Petrofac with access to high-end turnkey opportunities in the high growth deepwater and SURF markets, and expand access to shallow water EPCI projects.

IHC Merwede’s Offshore division secured orders worth over €1 billion for the design, engineering and construction of a total of six pipelaying vessels. The agreements for these six ships have been signed with Subsea 7 and Seabras Sapura, the partnership between SapuraKencana and Seadrill. IHC Merwede will supply three fully integrated pipelaying vessels to Seabras Sapura. These will include the complete pipelaying spreads, which comprise of a twin-tensioner tilting lay tower, two below-deck baskets and support equipment for the loading, spooling and routing of products. The integrated automation system, full electrical installation and electrical machinery package will also be designed and delivered by IHC Merwede.

IHC Merwede has successfully launched Subsea 7'ss 550t pipelaying vessel, Seven Waves, at its shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel, The Netherlands. The naming ceremony was carried out by Mrs Lucia Andrade, the ship’s God Mother and Subsea 7 Brazil’s Vice President Projects & Operations. The Seven Waves is the fifth vessel contracted by Subsea 7 to IHC Merwede’s Offshore division. The other ships were launched and delivered under the names of: the Seven Oceans (pipelaying); the Seven Seas (pipelaying and construction); the Seven Atlantic (diving support); and the Seven Pacific (pipelaying).

The IHC Merwede stand (number 2625) will feature a diverse range of innovative vessels, advanced equipment and life-cycle support activities at this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). The company is exhibiting at the annual event in Texas, USA, which runs from 6 to 9 May and is expected to attract 80,000 attendees from more than 110 countries. Renowned as a reliable supplier of offshore construction and support vessels, and mission equipment to the offshore market, IHC Merwede specialises in the development and delivery of integrated and efficient solutions. To highlight its capabilities, one of the main attractions on the stand will be a model of two identical 550-tonne pipelaying vessels that the company is building for SapuraKencana.

Toisa Ltd. signed a contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI for the construction of a Multipurpose Offshore Construction Vessel (MOCV) designed by Ulstein. The vessel, with X-BOW hull line design was built in Korea with a customized version of Ulstein's Deepwater Enabler design. The DP3 vessel is designed for worldwide operations in the oil and gas sector, ultra deepwater installation and construction, flexible lay, pipelay, cable lay and topside construction support. As such…

McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR) (“McDermott”) announced that it will build another high capacity reeled pipelay vessel with top-tier payload capacity, tentatively named Lay Vessel 108 (“LV108”). The vessel will be a sister ship to the recently completed subsea construction vessel the Lay Vessel North Ocean 105 (“LV105”), and is to be built to similar specifications at Metalships and Docks S.A.U. shipyard in Vigo, Spain. “LV108 is another milestone in our vessel renewal program focusing on the subsea construction market for flexible and rigid product installation,” said Stephen M.

Huisman and Heerema Offshore Services signed a Letter of Intent for the delivery of all mission equipment onboard Heerema’s new Deep Water Construction Vessel. Huisman will design, construct and install a 4,000mt Offshore Mast Crane and a pipelay tower for both J-lay and Reel-lay operations in ultra deep water. Installation of equipment is scheduled for 2012/2013, partly at the DSME yard in South Korea and partly at the Huisman quay in Schiedam, The Netherlands. The heavy lift crane will have a revolving lift capacity of 4,000mt.

Friede Goldman Halter (FGH) has signed nine contracts with a combined value of more than $52 million, excluding options. The contracts are outlined as follows: Halter has agreed with Foss Maritime for the construction of a 98-ft. (29.8 m) harbor tug, with options to build two additional vessels; a contract was also signed with an undisclosed foreign operator for construction of two high-speed passenger ferries, with options for two additional vessels; Sea Coast Towing has contracted Halter to build an 80,000-barrel oceangoing double-hull tank barge, with an option for an additional vessel; Trinity Yachts has agreed with Halter for hull construction of a 192-ft.

Technip awarded STX Heavy Industries (Korea) a contract for the construction of its new pipelay vessel. This 194m-long vessel will have twin 2,800 ton reels. She will have a top tension capacity of 450 tons for laying rigid steel pipes and flexible products up to 18-in. in diameter through a dedicated lay tower installed at the stern. She will also be equipped with a 150 ton crane, a PLET (pipeline end terminations) handling system and accommodation for 140 people. With a transit speed of 20 knots, she has been specifically designed to minimize intercontinental transits and allow her efficient deployment in all deep water regions of the world.

Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) is investing $1b in a new deepwater construction vessel. The new vessel will feature unrivalled speeds and state-of-the-art equipment. It will enable HMC to operate in remote areas and ultra deepwater increasing the pace of field development worldwide. Once the vessel enters the market in 2010, it will secure construction capacity for at least another three decades. The conceptual design was prepared in-house Heerema Marine Contractors. The new vessel will be 721.7 ft. It will have a maximum speed of 20 knots: up to four times the speed of our current deepwater construction vessels. The high speed capacity…

Torch Offshore LLC is a Gretna, La-based integrated offshore contractor whose niche market is the installation of small diameter flow lines and related infrastructure on the Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In 2002, the company had revenues of $68 million, laying 227 miles of pipe. Torch Offshore operates a fleet of nine vessels that lay the pipe and/or support this activity. The company is in the process of converting two large vessels that will give the company the ability to compete in the deepwater segment pf the market. "The company's strategy for the future is highly focused on the deepwater arenas of the world," said Lyle G. Stockstill, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Torch Offshore.