Chouest and Island Offshore order MPCV at Ulstein

DECEMBER 20, 2012 — Island Ventures II LLC, a partnership between Edison Chouest Offshore and Island Offshore, has signed a contract with Ulstein Verft AS for the construction of a Multi Purpose Construction Vessel of the SX-121 design.

The vessel, which will be delivered from the shipyard in May 2014, will be an extended version of the successful sister vessels Island Constructor and Island Intervention. It will have bed space for 130 persons, a 250 ton crane and is prepared for a Module Handling Tower.

Special emphasis has been put on designing a safe working deck with ample freeboard and on providing a heavy lift deck with lower freeboard to provide what Island Offshore calls “a perfect cross-over” between through-moon-pool activities and over-the-side crane work.

The shipbuilder says the contract includes an option for an additional vessel.

The vessel is prepared and tailored for the well intervention, IMR and SURF segments, and meets the latest requirements for both well intervention and offshore construction work.

“We are very happy that Island Offshore once again has ordered an advanced offshore construction vessel from Ulstein. We will do our utmost to deliver a quality vessel that they can benefit from for many years to come,” says Gunvor Ulstein, CEO in Ulstein Group.

“We are looking forward to adding this vessel to our fleet. The cooperation between our two companies has been very good on previous building projects, and we are looking forward to working with Ulstein on the construction of this multifunctional vessel,” says Håvard Ulstein, Managing Director in Island Offshore.

The ship will be based on the proven and solid SX121 design, a platform on which Ulstein has previously built five ships. She will be customised to meet Island Offshore’s functional requirements and wishes, which are based on its experience from the type of operations the vessel will be performing. The 130 m long and 25 m wide ship will have the highest standard of dynamic positioning (DP3) and will be equipped to perform subsea operations at depths down to 3000 m. The vessel can be rigged for well intervention and is prepared for the laying of flexible pipes and cables on the seabed through a VLS tower (vertical lay system). It also has room for a rotating carousel below deck with a capacity to load 2500 tons.

An active heave compensated (AHC) offshore crane with a 250-ton capacity at 14 metres outreach and a below-deck winch will be installed on board. The vessel will carry two deep-sea work ROVs (remotely operated vehicle), one to be launched from the starboard side and one through the vessel’s moon pool. The ship is designed with a large cargo deck for transport of equipment for a multitude of operations. She will be equipped with diesel electric propulsion and three azimuth main thrusters powered by six large generator sets.

The vessel with a crew capacity of 130 will be built in accordance with the latest international environmental and safety requirements and will meet the most stringent HSE requirements on the Norwegian continental shelf as well as regulations for floating oil and gas installations. Consequently, the ship also complies with the ESD requirements (Emergency Shut-Down). In the event of evacuation, both the starboard and port side life boat can accommodate the entire crew.

Island Offshore currently has four vessels delivered by Ulstein ini ts fleet: The well stimulation vessel Island Patriot, the subsea construction vessel Island Pioneer, and the two subsea construction and intervention vessels of SX121 design, Island Constructor and Island Intervention.