Petrofac to build deepwater derrick lay vessel

Ayman Asfari

JANUARY 17, 2014 — Ayman Asfari (left), Group Chief Executive of U.K. based Petrofac (LON: PFC) says orders for a proprietary deepwater derrick lay vessel “orders mark the next major step in Petrofac’s strategic evolution” and that “with more than 30 years of designing, developing, building and operating fixed facilities, both onshore and offshore, and more than a decade in subsea field development and engineering, our move into the deepwater market is a natural progression.”

Petrofac says it has placed “all critical path lump-sum orders” to build its new proprietary design Petrofac JSD 6000 lay vessel, which will be available for construction and installation activities in early 2017.

The contracts for the shipyard and electrical and control systems supplier and integrator have now been awarded as the final element in a phasing of contracts designed to “de-risk” critical item delivery, interfaces and integration.

The vessel contract award summary is:

• Shipyard for hull and marine: ZPMC (Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries), China
• Nominated supplier and integrator of all electrical and control systems: Kongsberg Maritime, Norway
• 2,000 t J-Lay tower: IHC Engineering Business, U.K.
• 5,000 t revolving main crane and four deck cranes: National Oilwell Varco, U.S.A.
• Two deepwater 750 t winches: Remazel Engineering, Italy
• 600 mt S-Lay tensioners and pipe handling equipment: Remacut, Italy
• Nominated classification society: Lloyd’s Register Group

Building on Petrofac’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project management and engineering capability, the vessel is based on a unique innovative design which integrates the J-Lay, S-Lay and derrick functions and will provide Petrofac with access to high-end turnkey opportunities in the high growth deepwater and SURF markets, and expand access to shallow water EPCI projects.

Yves Inbona, Managing Director of Petrofac’s Offshore Capital Projects business, said: “We are delighted to be working with industry leaders on the design and build of the key components of the vessel. The Petrofac JSD 6000 will give us the ability to access top tier EPCI opportunities with a best-in-class multi-purpose vessel.”