Large Structures News

Offshore contractor Allseas has signed a construction contract with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in China for a purpose-built semi-submersible heavy transport vessel (HTV), marking a major expansion of its fleet capabilities.The vessel, to be named Grand Tour, is scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2028. With a load capacity of 40,000 tonnes, the ship will be designed to carry the world’s largest offshore structures across oceans and transfer them to Allseas’ flagship vessel…

Singapore-based shipowner Vallianz has partnered up with Ulstein Design & Solutions B.V, Shift Clean Energy, and Bureau Veritas to design and build a heavy transport vessel (HTV) that will be "the first of its kind in the global offshore wind industry."The HTV is planned to be deployed for the transportation of structures such as monopiles, jackets, transition pieces and turbine blades to support offshore wind farm projects, as well as heavy structure modules for LNG and carry out floatover operations of offshore structures.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Huntington District intends to award “Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contracts for Design Bid Build Marine-Based Construction Projects” in the Rivers Districts of the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. This encompasses the Huntington, Louisville, Nashville, and Pittsburgh Districts.This is an unrestricted, $75 million contract with a target of five awards: a base period of one year and four one-year option periods.Requirements include the ability to mobilize “sizeable crews” to multiple sites and provide multimillion-dollar bonding.

Eying recent demand increases and oil prices recovery in the international market, Brazil's largest tug operator says it is ramping up to support a growing number of offshore oil and gas projects expected to take off in the coming years.Globally, around 30 production floater contracts are now queued up for award over the next 18 months, assuming no major market disruption occurs and the supply chain can absorb the orders within this time frame, according to an in-depth market analysis recently completed by International Maritime Associates/World Energy Reports.Wilson Sons…

A giant semi-submersible lifting barge is being lengthened and strengthened at the Hat-San shipyard in Turkey in preparation for a new working life with marine services and transportation firms Malin Abram and Malin Augustea in Scotland.Once converted, the massive barge will be one of the largest in Europe, and the only one in Scotland able to submerge and load vessels and cargo up to 12 meters deep and 140 meters long, the Malin Group said. With a submergence depth of up to 12 meters over deck and a deck space of 4…

Ocean Infinity, a U.S. based marine survey firm developing the world's largest fleet of unmanned surface vessels - Armada - has ordered Sonardyne sensors for its robotic vessels.As reported previously, Ocean Infinity in February launched Armada, a marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Sonardyne said Wednesday it would provide the first wave of Ocean Infinity’s new Armada fleet with key sensor technologies for underwater platform navigation…

Offshore wind industry is set to gain a foothold in new markets in the next five years, with the Asian markets playing a significant role.China has significant ambition for the build-out of offshore wind – and added more capacity in 2018 than any other country. However, what is less known, is that markets such as Korea, Japan, Vietnam and India – have made plans to incorporate offshore wind into their energy mix.While much of the capacity being installed today is coming from mature markets such as Europe – where 18.5 GW was installed by the end of 2018 – most of the future growth will come from emerging markets.Asia Wind Energy Association…

Ultra low sulphur fuels may be the key to compliant operations in Emission Control Areas (ECAs), but they can also open the door to an unwanted, and slimy, guest in your vessels’ engines and fuel tanks. Jonas Ostlund and Sachin Gupta of Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) discuss the cold flow characteristics of distillate fuels and the formation of paraffin wax in cold temperatures. “It’s like mucus,” says Jonas Ostlund, WSS Product Marketing Manager Oil. “When a cold comes on it starts forming in your tubes.

Norwegian oil services firm Kvaerner posted forecast-beating second-quarter core profit and lifted its 2015 revenue outlook, but also trimmed its dividend policy to reflect the weak oil market's impact on future earnings. The Oslo-listed firm, which builds large structures like platforms, is facing fierce competition as oil firms cut costs because of the slump in oil prices. "The industry is facing a challenging market, probably the most challenging market in 15 years," Chief Executive Jan Arve Haugan said at an investor presentation. "Oil companies say cost level must go down to agree on new investments. In our segment we see some prospects but we expect hard competition and there will be pressure on margins," he said.

Dramatic changes to the global oil and gas landscape over the last decade have led the industry to encounter increasingly challenging and remote environments including emerging yet largely unexplored new provinces and more complex deepwater territories. But true to its industrious and adventurous spirit, the sector is turning these challenges into opportunities and underpinning this shift to new frontiers is adding significant tangible value to the way in which hydrocarbons are recovered.

McDermott International, Inc. announced today that one of its joint venture companies, Qingdao McDermott Wuchuan Offshore Engineering Co. Ltd. (“QMW”), recently completed a fast-track compression process module fabrication subcontract for Jord Oil & Gas Systems B.V. (“JOGS”). JOGS is the prime contractor for the process modules for the jack-up compression platform which will connect to the PEMEX Akal G-1 platform offshore Mexico. The scope of work, awarded in the first quarter 2014, included construction-engineering, procurement of bulk materials, fabrication, pre-commissioning and transportation of three process modules, related skids and a flare boom.

Harvey Gulf International Marine, LLC specializes in towing drilling rigs and providing Offshore Supply and Multi-Purpose Support Vessels for deepwater water operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Until the late 1990’s, Harvey Gulf maintained and operated a fleet of both offshore, and inland towing vessels that towed, among other things, jack-up and semi-submersible drilling rigs, bulk cargo barges, and large structures and facilities laden on barges. Harvey Gulf also regularly towed liquefied natural gas (propane) filled barges from Louisiana to ports in the Caribbean, U.S.

The continued maturation of Offshore Service Vessel design is embodied in recent contracts and deliveries. Ulstein Verft subsea newbuild Island Performer was built for Island Offshore to be a flexible, RLWI/IMR vessel, destined to serve its first five years for FTO in the Gulf of Mexico. “The vessel is customized to suit the scope of work in the FTO contract, in which RLWI (Riser-less Light Well Intervention) and IMR (Inspection/Maintenance/Repair) are the main tasks. She is able to perform operations at depths down to 3,000m,” said Håvard Ulstein, Managing Director, Island Offshore.

Caterpillar Marine announced that Cat power and propulsion offerings have been selected to provide complete propulsion solutions for four ocean-going towing vessels designed by Ulstein Design and Solutions. Each vessel will have four 9 M 32 C propulsion engines, rated at 4,500 bkW at 600 rpm. Also onboard each vessel will be three Cat C32 auxiliary generator sets rated at 940 ekW at 1,800 rpm as well as one Cat C9 generator set to provide emergency power. All four vessels will be equipped with two AEM shaft generators rated at 3,150 ekW at 1,200 rpm.

Pon Power Scandinavia, a supplier of marine power and propulsion systems, announced that the company has been contracted by ALP Maritime Services and Ulstein Design & Solutions to provide engines and gensets to four oceangoing AHTS. Designed to tow large structures over long distances, the ALP Future Class tugs represent next-generation of AHTS, Pon Power said. The vessels, developed by Ulstein Design & Solutions in close cooperation with the owner, ALP Maritime Services, are SX157 design, with a 300-ton bollard pull, capable of operating at full loads for 45 days without refuelling. Øystein Solberg, Account Manager for Pon Power Scandinavia, said that under the terms of the contract, Pon Power Scandinavia will provide four main engines and gensets for all four vessels.

Rolls-Royce won a $31.9m contract to deliver deck machinery for four ocean going tugs, designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions, for Dutch company ALP Maritime Services. The vessels will be constructed in Japan by Niigata Shipbuilding & Repair. The vessels are being developed for towing large structures like oil rigs and floating production units over long distances. The bollard pull for each of the four vessels will be 300 tons and they will be equipped for anchor handling. The deck machinery include a complete low pressure winch solution and a stern roller.

Rolls-Royce has been awarded a £19m contract to deliver deck machinery for four ocean going tugs, designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions, for Dutch company ALP Maritime Services. The vessels will be constructed in Japan by Niigata Shipbuilding & Repair. The vessels are being developed for towing large structures like oil rigs and floating production units over long distances. The bollard pull for each of the four vessels will be 300 tons and they will be equipped for anchor handling. John Knudsen, Rolls-Royce, President Offshore, said: "This project is a good example of how our solid industry know-how makes us a partner of choice for innovative ship owners and design teams. The deck machinery delivered from Rolls-Royce will include a complete low pressure winch solution and a stern roller.

Rolls-Royce has been awarded a £19m contract to deliver deck machinery for four ocean going tugs, designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions, for Dutch company ALP Maritime Services. The vessels will be constructed in Japan by Niigata Shipbuilding & Repair. The vessels are being developed for towing large structures like oil rigs and floating production units over long distances. The bollard pull for each of the four vessels will be 300 tons and they will be equipped for anchor handling.

Offshore lifting trials with crane barge Conquest MB1 and Cargo / supply vessel Abis Dublin successfully completed. deugro Denmark A/S, together with partners Conquest Offshore and Amasus Shipping / Abis Shipping, have developed a plan for the installation of offshore windpark components. The approach of this plan is the use of a standard offshore barge with a 1,500 tons offshore crane (Conquest MB1) that will stay on location and will do the actual installation work on site (at present foundations and transition pieces only).

Nordic Yards sets up a new test track as a 'cooling zone' to test 3 models of the yard's own-design LNG cargo tanks. A new test track has been inaugurated at the Warnemünde location of Nordic Yards. The cooling zone is being used to test three models, so-called mock-ups, developed as part of the POLAR Alliance. These models, all of which are Nordic Yards' own designs on a scale of 1:1, represent an LNG cargo handling system, but are being tested independently of one another for reasons of precision. The test models include a double barrier tank (Aluminium Double Barrier Tank, ADBT), an LNG deck line with de-icing system and a double-walled bunker line. The models are now being tested for three months alternately on the 15 metre-long test track at cryogenic temperatures.

Merseyside shipyard and engineering firm Cammell Laird has formally started the second five year cycle of its biggest single contract. Work began in June 2013 on the second period of Cammell Laird’s through-life support cluster contract to maintain nine of the 13 ships in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) flotilla. The cluster contract was first awarded to Cammell Laird in 2008 and following reviews of performance and value for money the contract was extended for a further five years to 2018.

Ulstein has sold design and equipment packages for four ocean going tugs to Niigata Shipbuilding & Repair in Japan. The vessels will be built for the Dutch company ALP Maritime Services. The vessels are primarily designed for towing of large structures over long distances. This is a new market for Ulstein and the contract represents so far the highest value in one single contract for Ulstein Design & Solutions. The vessels of the SX157 design are developed especially for this project in close collaboration with ALP.

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