New Offshore Installation Vessel for GeoSea

COSCO will build a new offshore installation vessel in China for DEME subsidiary GeoSea, to be used for offshore wind farm construction, oil and gas industry services and decommissioning work. The vessel, Orion, is due to be delivered in 2019.

With a total installed capacity of 44,180kW Orion will be equipped with a high-tech crane with lifting capacity of 3,000t at more than 50m. The loads can be lifted to an unrivalled height of more than 170m. Deck space has been maximized to provide exceptionally high transport and load capacity. The vessel can take the heaviest monopiles, jackets, wind turbine components and structures in a single shipment, and can transport and install the next generation of giant multi-megawatt wind turbines.

Orion has dual fuel engines and can run on natural liquefied natural gas (LNG). It will have a Green Passport and Clean Design notation. It will also be equipped with a waste heat recovery system that converts heat from the exhaust gasses and cooling water to electrical energy.

The 216.5m-long Orion, featuring DP3 capability, can accommodate a crew of up to 131 people.

Luc Vandenbulcke, Managing Director GeoSea, said, “With Orion we will be uniquely positioned to meet the future requirements of our customers and the trend towards larger capacity turbines and bigger wind farm projects, delivering energy at lower costs. Orion will be capable of installing mega monopiles at greater depths. With DP3 technology the offshore installation vessel can continue operations under the most challenging conditions.”