Installation Equipment News

Two commissioning service operation vessels (CSOV) under construction for Germany-based Bernhard Schulte Offshore have reached milestones. The steel cutting and keel laying ceremonies for yno 321 and 320, respectively, were arranged at the Crist hull yard, Poland, on January 30, 2024.The two Ulstein-designed CSOVs are characterized by the TWIN X-STERN feature, implementing fore and aft main propeller units for excellent dynamic positioning characteristics.The hulls will be prepared at Crist before being towed to Ulstein Verft in Norway for the final phases…

The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) has approved the Development Plan Amendment (DPA) for the Hebron Field.The Hebron oil field is located offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin 340 kilometers southeast of St. John's. The field was first discovered in 1980, and is estimated to produce more than 700 million barrels of recoverable resources. The water depth at the Hebron field is 93 meters.The approval enables ExxonMobil and…

Flat panel satellite antenna company Kymeta and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications company OneWeb announced that Kymeta’s electronically steered Peregrine u8 LEO terminal is now commercially available, becoming the first flat panel antenna to serve the maritime market on OneWeb’s LEO network.Kymeta launched its maritime product line in 2017, and its streamlined Peregrine u8 LEO terminal is purpose-built for maritime applications. According to Kymeta, the slim, energy…

Shipbuilder and designer Vard, part of Fincantieri, said Friday that it had secured a contract to design and build a cable laying vessel for NCT Offshore in Denmark.The VARD 9 01 design vessel is designed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway. The hull will be built at Vard Tulcea in Romania, while the final outfitting, commissioning, and delivery will be carried out by one of Vard’s shipyards in Norway. The cable layer, which will be about 95 meters long and have a beam of about 21,5 meters, is scheduled for delivery in Q4 2024.

Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri announced its Vard subsidiary has secured an order to design and build a new cable laying vessel for an unnamed "international shipping company".The ship will be built entirely by the Vard network, including the main systems and equipment, for scheduled delivery in 2024, Fincantieri said.At approximately 95 meters long, the vessel will have a total of 3,700 tons of cable installation equipment, 60 single cabins, DP2 positioning and seakeeping system.

Heavy Lift Projects Ltd (HLP), a provider of offshore wind farm logistics, said Tuesday it had completed a funding round with private investors and opened its first office in Edinburgh.The company said that Capercaillie (Investments) Ltd and Giles W Pritchard-Gordon & Co Ltd have committed a "multi-million-pound" investment, which will be used to complete engineering work on its first project, a new design of a ring crane for assembling and loading offshore wind farm components.HLP…

Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine has awarded NOV contracts to supply equipment for the wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) it is building for Maersk Supply Service. This will be the first WTIV for both Semcorp Marine and Maersk Supply Service. The vessel, ordered by Maersk from Sembcorp Marine in March, will be chartered by Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, and will be used for the installation of 15MW Vestas wind turbines at the Empire Wind offshore wind project in the U.S.Announcing the equipment order…

U.S.-based Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company (GLDD) has ordered rock installation equipment from the Dutch company Huisman.The equipment will be installed on the GLDD's newbuild rock installation vessel, which will support the development of offshore wind in the U.S.Huisman said it has optimized the equipment for installing scour protection necessary for offshore wind applications. This includes, for example, filter and armor layers for foundations, which it can install pre- or post foundation installation. It can also install cable protection for both inter-array and export cables.

Energy and telecom cable systems company Prysmian Group announced it has taken delivery of the "unique" and "record-breaking" battery-hybrid cable laying vessel Leonardo da Vinci. “Leonardo da Vinci is the most efficient cable layer in the world and from now onwards it will support the group’s long-term growth in the submarine cable installation business. It will be a game changer in strengthening our leadership in the interconnection and offshore wind farm markets,” stated Valerio Battista…

National Oilwell Varco (NOV) said that it was awarded a contract to design and build equipment for one of the world's largest offshore wind turbine installation vessels. Financial details were not disclosed.According to a press release, NOV, through its subsidiary GustoMSC, landed the contract from Japanese engineering and construction firm Shimizu Corp. to design and build a ship that will be used to install turbines for a 9 GW wind farm off the coast of Japan.The 28,000-ton ship will be constructed at the Japan Marine United shipyard in Yokohama, where it will be designed to accommodate 130 people and include a crane that can move cargo up to 2,500 tons.

The subsea services provider to the oil and gas industry Rever Offshore, has announced the appointment of Bob Bryce to the newly-created role of Operations Director.The provider of fully integrated subsea construction and offshore management services said in a press release that  Bryce’s 40-year career in the oil and gas industry has seen him hold senior leadership positions on a global basis with key subsea-surf contractors, including McDermott, Subsea7 and Technip.He joins Rever’s executive team with a remit to oversee the operations, assets & services and QHSE functions. He does so as the company announces a board re-structure and will sit alongside fellow-executive team members…

As the domestic offshore wind industry comes to life, U.S. flag vessels will necessarily be part of that expanding equation.A potential sea change came with the recent announcement from Aeolus Energy Partners that the renewable installation and operation company was investing in a fleet of Jones Act-compliant vessels dedicated to the offshore wind industry. Long a barrier to entry for foreign and domestic prospectors alike, the Jones Act, a portion of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920…

Block Island — U.S.-based Deepwater Wind’s five-turbine, 30-megawatt wind park — was the first. It showed what was possible, what might not have been optimal and how long it all takes. Since then, incentives for onshore-wind have been curbed, while a tax credit for offshore wind has been extended. Wind parks are in the works. States have power companies buying offshore wind energy, and experienced offshore operators are hiring the new wind-service vessels from elements of their oil-and-gas supply chain. The Jones Act, too, is being overcome by fleet owners and designers joining the U.S.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has recently completed works in Vlissingen and Brest on two major vessels in the fleet of dredging and marine construction specialist Jan de Nul Group. One of these is the Vole au vent, a 140-meter jack-up vessel built specifically for the installation of the latest generation of offshore wind turbines. The other is the trailing suction hopper dredger Leiv Eiriksson. Both vessels are among the largest in their classes, anywhere in the world.

AVIC shipyard in Weihai, China launched Jan De Nul Group’s new multipurpose vessel Adhémar de Saint-Venant. The sister vessel, Daniel Bernoulli, will be launched in March 2017. To perform a variety of functions, different mission equipment is available and can be installed on the vessels: subsea rock installation through an inclined fall pipe or a flexible fall pipe; subsea trenching, installation of cables and umbilicals; installation works by means of a heave compensated crane etc ... This definitely makes them unique. To safely and efficiently perform these functions the vessels are provided with Dynamic Positioning (DP2), a fully diesel-electric machinery arrangement, a comfortable accommodation for 60 persons and a SPS notation.

A newbuild DP2 cable installation vessel, Maersk Connector, was handed over from Damen Shipyards Group to Maersk Supply Service on February 4, 2016, and now goes directly on a long-term charter for subsea services provider DeepOcean. Built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania, Maersk Connector is the second of a new generation of cable-laying vessels based on the Damen Offshore Carrier (DOC) 8500 platform, customized to meet the challenges of reducing offshore renewables costs, the builder said.

Van Oord’s new DP2 cable-laying vessel, Nexus, was officially launched at Damen Shipyards Galati on June 30. The 123 m multipurpose vessel will be deployed installing electricity cables for offshore wind farms. The international contractor for dredging, marine engineering and offshore energy projects has made the investment in this vessel to pursue its strategy to offer Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts to offshore wind farm developers. With a beam of 28 m and a dynamic positioning system (DP2)…

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) launched a solution to assist shipowners in meeting one of the demands of MLC2006. The Duct Air Treatment, showcased for the first time at APM Singapore, is an anti-bacteria block which works within HVAC systems onboard vessels to stop the spread of invisible mould, bacteria and viruses. The block works by sterilizing and sanitizing the entire onboard air conditioning system, including both the air passing through the system and the air handling unit, ducts and diffusers.

Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) has launched a solution to assist shipowners in meeting one of the demands of MLC2006. The Duct Air Treatment, showcased for the first time at APM Singapore this week, is an anti-bacteria block which works within HVAC systems onboard vessels to stop the spread of invisible mould, bacteria and viruses. Hilde Hvaal Durban, WSS product marketing manager for marine products said, “The block works by sterilizing and sanitizing the entire onboard air conditioning system, including both the air passing through the system and the air handling unit, ducts and diffusers.

Van Oord has ordered a new cable laying vessel. The ship will be built at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania and will be completed at the end of 2014. The vessel is intended for the installation of electricity cables for offshore wind farms. Van Oord is making preparations for the Gemini offshore wind farm which will be constructed 60 kilometers to the north of Schiermonnikoog, one of the Dutch Wadden Islands. The cable-laying vessel will be deployed at that site, among many others.

IHC Merwede opened a new yard facility in Broussard, La. The yard at 206 Cummings Road will operate under the name of Hydro-Ram, Inc. With this expansion IHC Merwede now has a regional office in North America. Hydro-Ram, Inc., consisting of IHC Hydrohammer, IHC Handling Systems and IHC Fundex Equipment - all business units within the IHC Merwede group - will be the main distributor covering the North American piling markets for the oil and gas, offshore wind, construction and coastal and civil industries. The new site’s facilities include storage for a large rental fleet, maintenance operation and the main strategic spare parts hub for all of IHC Merwede’s pile installation equipment.

P&O Maritime Services, owner and operator of specialist science and cargo vessels, has entered the power cable installation market with its vessel CS European Supporter. The company has signed a long-term agreement with UK-headquartered subsea cable specialists, Offshore Marine Management (OMM), for the provision of a suite of capabilities to be marketed with the entrant cable installation vessel. The European Supporter, formerly Oceanic Viking, is due to enter the European and…

Fluor Corporation announced that its third quarter results will include a charge of approximately $163m, or $0.90 per share, for estimated cost increases on the Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Project. During the third quarter, the project experienced a variety of execution challenges, including material and equipment delivery issues, primarily relating to the installation of wind turbine generators and subsea cabling. Following an evaluation of third quarter events, the company has revised estimates to include substantial costs for additional marine vessels and other subcontractor costs associated with equipment installation, equipment repairs and the estimated schedule impact which has been exacerbated by weather-related delays.