Topside Equipment News

Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft and Nexans Marine Operations have marked the start of construction of a new DP3 cable-laying vessel (CLV) Nexans Aurora in a steel cutting ceremony held on January 19, 2024.Four months after signing the shipbuilding contract, Nexans Marine Operations and Ulstein Verft officially started he construction of Nexans’ next cable laying vessel.Attending the steel cutting ceremony at the Crist hull yard were representatives from Nexans, Ulstein Verft…

Nexans Marine Operations and the Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft have entered into a contract for the construction of a large DP3 cable-laying vessel, which will be an updated version of the Nexans Aurora vessel, delivered in 2021.The vessel is an ST-297 CLV design by Norway-based Skipsteknisk.Pascal Radue, Nexans EVP Generation & Transmission said:"We awarded the contract for a new vessel to Ulstein after an extensive tendering process, where Ulstein’s track record, including the delivery of Nexans Aurora, was important factors in deciding on the shipyard Ulstein Verft yet again.

VARD shipyard in Romania launched the hull of the new Van Oord cable layer Calypso earlier this week.Vard Tulcea in Romania is making final preparations before the hull will be towed to Vard Brattvaag. At Vard Brattvaag, the shipbuilder will continue outfitting the vessel, topside equipment installation, commissioning and trials in collaboration with Van Oord and sub-contractors before handing it over to the owner, Dutch offshore installation specialist Van Oord.The vessel will…

Norway's Ulstein is set to begin the outfitting phase of the Nexans Aurora, a large, DP3, cable laying vessel (CLV) Nexans ordered from Ulstein in 2018.The Nexans Aurora hull arrived Ulstein Verft on Monday, June 15, 2020, after having been built at CRIST, Poland. The hull will now be towed into the dock hall at Ulstein Verft before activities such as outfitting, electrical work, insulation, and piping start. Ulstein Verft will also install the main components such as the main generator set…

For Marine Technology Reporter's (MTR) 14th Annual "MTR100" - a look at 100 innovators and technologies in the subsea space - MTR editor-at-large Elaine Maslin reports on five companies and technologies that are worth the watch for the remainder of 2019 and beyond. For the full edition, see https://magazines.marinelink.com/nwm/MarineTechnology/201907/Blue Logic: Entering a new eraCompletely new modes of operation are entering the underwater domain for oil and gas operations and…

Netherlands-based Acta Marine announced that its next offshore wind farm installation vessel will be ready in next two months."‘Acta Centaurus will be completed and ready for construction support vessel (CSV)/service operation vessel (SOV) operation in a little more than two months," said a press release from the company.Acta Marine’s site team is following the vessel’s progress on a daily basis, such as the installation of the helideck on Sunday.“The main topside equipment, including tower, gangway and crane, has been installed and tested previously, the helideck was the final equipment installation to take place,” says Marcus de Greef…

Nexans high-end cable laying vessel (CLV) Aurora is developed for operations in rough weather and has high maneuverability and station keeping capabilities. Ulstein Verft will construct the vessel and prepare for the topside equipment, the vessel is designed by Skipsteknisk in Ålesund. The CLV is 31 m wide, 149.9 m long, with a deadweight of 17,000 metric tons, and can accommodate 90 people.For this advanced cable laying vessel, which has a turntable with a large cable capacity of 10…

Nexans Subsea Operations has signed a shipbuilding contract with Ulstein Verft on the construction of a large, DP3 cable laying vessel. CEO Gunvor Ulstein, Ulstein Group, said: “We are very pleased that Nexans, a solid and important player, chooses Ulstein to construct their new flag ship. We have a strong organisation with long experience in delivering advanced vessels. The contract was won in tough, international competition. We look forward to a constructive and fruitful cooperation with Nexans in the years to come”. The vessel will be outfitted for power cable laying, including bundle laying, cable jointing and repair and cable system protection and trenching. The ST-297 CLV is designed by Skipsteknisk, Ålesund.

Keppel Offshore & Marine's (Keppel O&M) wholly-owned subsidiary, Keppel Shipyard Ltd (Keppel Shipyard), will soon deliver the world's first converted Floating Liquefaction Vessel (FLNGV) owned by Golar Hilli Corporation (Golar), a subsidiary of Golar LNG Ltd. The vessel was named Hilli Episeyo at a ceremony in Keppel Shipyard today. Upon its completion, the FLNGV will be put in operation offshore Kribi, Cameroon for Société Nationale des Hydrocarbures and Perenco Cameroon SA, and will be the first FLNGV project in Africa. Chris Ong, CEO of Keppel O&M said, "We are proud to be able to deliver the world's first FLNGV conversion in partnership with Golar LNG within three years and with a commendable safety record.

Successful completion of the Petronas Floating LNG facility (PFLNG) Satu is a milestone for the oil and gas industry and for the Malaysian energy giant. Designed by consortium leader TechnipFMC and fabricated at the Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering yard in South Korea, PFLNG Satu achieved the first-ever production of LNG offshore in December 2016. The 365-meter by 60-meter facility processes, produces and offloads LNG in situ, directly above natural gas reservoirs. FLNG allows the monetization of remote…

ALMACO Group informs it has been awarded the design, material supply and supervision contract from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. In March 2014, KHI contracted ALMACO Group to deliver the design, material supply and supervision for the catering areas, inclusive galley, provision stores, refrigeration machinery and mess rooms, located on the hull of the first drillship, Ondina. The expected delivery date for this work is end of 2015. Earlier this year, ALMACO received the repeat order for the second drill unit, Pituba, with the expected delivery of mid of 2016. Kawasaki’s Sakaide Shipyard is building the hull parts of these units, which will later be transported to Enseada’s site in Brazil for installation of other segments, such as the topside equipment.

Golar LNG Limited has executed agreements for conversion of the 126,000 m3 LNG carrier Gandria to a Golar floating liquefaction facility (GoFLNG), the company announced today. As with the GoFLNG Hilli and Gimi conversions, the primary contract for the GoFLNG Gandria was entered into with Singapore's Keppel Shipyard Limited. The Gandria conversion contract marks the exercise of the second of two options that formed part of the initial 2014 Hilli conversion contract. Black & Veatch will provide its licensed PRICO technology, perform detailed engineering and process design, specify and procure topside equipment, and provide commissioning support for the GoFLNG topsides and liquefaction process.

Black & Veatch has again been called upon to combine its PRICO LNG technology and global engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) capabilities with the services of Keppel Shipyard Limited. Together, they will convert a 125,000-cubic-meter Golar LNG carrier, the Gimi, into a Floating Liquefaction Vessel (FLNGV). Black & Veatch will provide its PRICO technology as well as perform detailed engineering and process design, specify and procure topside equipment and provide commissioning support for the FLNGV topsides and liquefaction process. This is the company's second agreement of this nature with Keppel Shipyard and Golar LNG. In July 2014, the company announced an EPC contract to convert the Hilli.

The offshore construction vessel Polar Onyx was delivered on March 4, 2014 from Ulstein Verft to GC Rieber Shipping, as the latest addition to their growing investments into the subsea segment. The vessel’s first assignment will be to work for deepwater projects serving as pipelay support vessel for Petrobras offshore Brazil. The 130-meter long and 25-meter wide Polar Onyx is based on ULSTEIN’s SX121 design, a design which is generally designed to operate in the IMR/SURF construction market, with high capacity for flexible pipe cargo below deck and on main deck. Irene W.

Transhield, Inc., a manufacturer of high-tech protective covers for commercial and industrial markets, announce that their patented Armordillo protective covers have successfully completed evaluation with the U.S. Navy. The evaluation of Transhield Armordillo advanced protective cover technology occurred over a nine-month period onboard several surface combatants and at the Naval Research Lab. As a result of the evaluation, Naval Sea Systems Command released a message to all Naval…

Kawasaki Heavy Industries is to build hull parts of the first of 6 drillship for Estaleiro Enseada Do Paraguaçu (EEP) of Bahia State, Brazil. The vessel is the first of six ordered by Sete Brasil (Brazilian investment company in the oil & gas industry), which will be chartered by Petrobras (Brazil's state-owned oil company). After the drillship’s hull parts are completed at Kawasaki’s Sakaide Shipyard, they will be transported to EEP for installation of other segments, such as the topside equipment, and will be delivered to the owner, a strategy that was also agreed with the drillship owner.

Vard Holdings Limited  secured contracts with joint ventures of DOF Subsea and Technip for the design and construction of four Pipe Lay Support Vessels (PLSVs), a contract which is the largest order in VARD’s history, with an aggregate order value of approximately $ 1.1 billion (NOK 6.5 billion). Two of the vessels, of VARD 3 05 design (151 x 30 m) will be delivered in 2Q 2016 and 3Q 2016 respectively. The hulls of these vessels will be built at Vard Tulcea in Romania and outfitted at Vard Søviknes in Norway.

Aker Solutions won a contract from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) to deliver a drilling equipment package for the production platform at the Mariner oilfield in the U.K. North Sea. The parties agreed not to disclose the value of the order, which includes a complete topside equipment package. Aker Solutions will also provide necessary support services at DSME's shipyard in South Korea and during the offshore installation phase. Delivery of the equipment will be completed in 2015.

Aker Solutions has won a contract to supply a complete drilling equipment package for a deepwater drillship Jurong Shipyard is building for the Brazilian market. The contract value is undisclosed. Earlier this year Aker Solutions announced a contract to supply six drilling equipment packages to Jurong Shipyard. The contract included an option for an additional drilling package, which the customer now has exercised. The contract includes complete topside and subsea equipment (drilling riser and blow-out preventer). The equipment will be delivered from Aker Solutions in Norway, Germany and Brazil. Aker Solutions is building a new $100m service and manufacturing facility in Macaé, Brazil's offshore capital, in order to meet expected growth.

Aker Solutions to supply a complete drilling equipment package for a deepwater drillship Jurong Shipyard is building for the Brazilian market. On 25 August 2012 Aker Solutions announced a contract to supply six drilling equipment packages to Jurong Shipyard. The contract included an option for an additional drilling package, which the customer now has exercised. The contract includes complete topside and subsea equipment (drilling riser and blow-out preventer) and its value has not been disclosed. he equipment will be delivered from Aker Solutions in Norway, Germany and Brazil. Aker Solutions is building a new $100m service and manufacturing facility in Macaé, Brazil's offshore capital, in order to meet expected growth.

Aker Solutions wins contract to supply drilling equipment packages for a series of six deepwater drillships for the Brazilian market. The six new vessels will be operated by Norwegian drilling operators Seadrill and Odfjell Drilling (3 each) under 15-year charter contracts from Petrobras. The drillships will be capable of operating at 10,000 feet water depth and drilling to depths of 40,000 ft. Aker Solutions' contract includes complete topside and subsea equipment (drilling riser and BOP) packages for six drillships, and an option for one further unit. The equipment will be delivered from Aker Solutions in Norway and Germany, as well as from the company's new site in Brazil.

Modified EBITDA increases 86% to $1.4 million
 in latest Deep Down Inc. financial report. Deep Down, Inc., an oilfield services company specializing in products and services for the deepwater and ultra-deepwater oil and gas industry, report net income of $639 thousand for the second quarter of 2012, an improvement of $685 thousand over the same period in 2011. Ronald E. Smith, Chief Executive Officer stated, "This was the Company's strongest second quarter performance since 2007. We are extremely satisfied with what our subsea solutions business was able to achieve in the second quarter of 2012. We added approximately $6.3 million to backlog bringing total current backlog to approximately $17.7 million. Deep Down, Inc.

The US$100 million development will also include substantial production, assembly and testing capacity, to provide local content to support the country's large drilling rig-building programme. The 335 000m2 facility in Macaé (180 kn NE of Rio de Janeiro) on Brazil's east coast is about 8 times bigger than Aker Solutions' current facility in nearby Rio das Ostras, reflecting expected growth in the company's activities in the country. The new Macaé facility will host full drilling riser production and maintenance services. This includes about 20 000 m2 of indoor mechanical workshop space for riser and topside equipment, with full crane and testing capabilities.