Wärtsilä wins a clutch of ship design contracts

DECEMBER 19, 2012 — Wärtsilä Corporation today reported a clutch of ship design orders including a brand new VS 4725 design for a new diving support vessel (DSV) to be built for Subsea 7 at the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard in Korea. Announcement of the DSV contract came within hours of the news that Wärtsilä is to supply China Oilfield Services Ltd (COSL) with the designs for six new ships, two Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs) and four Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessels, that will initially provide support operations in the South China Sea and Bohai Bay. ,

SUBSEA 7 DSV

Scheduled for delivery in 2015, the Subsea 7 DSV (pictured at left) is intended for North Sea diving operations on a year round basis. In customizing the design for complex vessel, close co-operation between Subsea 7, HHI, Drass Energy, the diving equipment supplier, and was essential. The result, says Wärtsilä, is a state-of-the-art, technologically advanced vessel design that offers high safety and good working conditions to all personnel onboard, as well as safe and efficient operations in often challenging sea and weather conditions.

The DSV is to be equipped with the latest integrated diving equipment, while a three-split engine and propulsion configuration ensures the highest level of redundancy. Under this configuration, the systems relating to the generator sets, propulsion machinery, thrusters, electrical controls and all related auxiliary equipment, are divided into three sections. In addition to the redundancy, this also ensures a high ERN (Environmental Regularity Number) score, while limiting the failure risk. In a worst case failure scenario, most of the generator sets and thrusters will remain in operation.

“The operational profile of the vessel forms the basis for every Wärtsilä ship design,” says Riku-Pekka Hägg, Vice President Wärtsilä Ship Design. “By working closely with the owners and operators to reach a complete understanding of their needs, we can design vessels that are both economically and environmentally sound, but moreover, fulfils the demands and requirements of our clients. Our more than 50 years of experience provides, of course, a solid foundation for our design solutions, and working with highly professional partners, such as Subsea 7 and HHI, is always a pleasure.

“The development of the Wärtsilä VS 4725 DSV, the development of the dive system by Drass, and the overall design and building by HHI is the result of good co-operation between all the parties involved. Wärtsilä Ship Design’s willingness and ability to adapt to the specific requirements and standards needed were key considerations in the award of this contract,” said Stuart Smith, Vice President for Technology and Asset Development, Subsea 7.

Subsea 7 – VS 4725 DSV:

Length: 123 m
Breadth: 24 m
Depth: 10.5 m
Accommodations: 110 POB

COSL PSVS AND AHTS

The COSL PSVs are based on Wärtsilä Ship Design’s well proven VS 485 PSV MKIII design that offers a highly energy and environmentally efficient vessel solution with an optimized hull design for greater efficiency, with corresponding reduced emission to air.

The AHTS vessels are to be constructed according to the Wärtsilä Ship Design VS 4612 AHTS design. The primary function of AHTS vessels is to set anchors for drilling rigs, and tow mobile drilling rigs from one location to another. Since the sea and weather conditions in which these ships work is often extremely challenging, a design that offers reliability and high levels of efficiency and performance is called for.

“We have enjoyed many years of close co-operation with both COSL and its parent company, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, and they are very familiar with Wärtsilä’s broad range of solutions, including our ship designs, propulsion machinery, automation and control systems, and our environmental compliance solutions. Our values are also very much aligned, with both companies emphasizing total lifecycle costs, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability,” says Riku-Pekka Hägg.

VS 485 PSV MKIII

LOA 85.40 m
Beam 20.00 m
Depth 8.60 m
Deck 1000 cu.m

VS 4612 AHTS

LOA  74.10 m
Beam 18.00 m
Depth 7.50 m
Deck 560 cu.m
Bollard pull approx. 145 t