Rolls-Royce to design, power and equip Island Offshore subsea support vessel

Rolls-Royce is to design, power and equip the advanced UT 737 CD subsea construction vessel ordered from STX OSV last month (see earlier story) by Island Offshore, in which the Chouest and Ulstein families are partners.

The 96 m x 21 m UT 737 CD vessel will support demanding subsea projects, including constructing and servicing oil and gas wells on the sea bed, up to 3,000 m below sea level.

Special features will include two independent systems for launching and recovering Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), a 125 tonne offshore crane that compensates for wave movements and an advanced offshore tower which handles subsea equipment through a moon pool.

Anders Almestad, Rolls-Royce, President – Offshore said: “This high tech vessel will showcase a combination of innovative technology and world-class, energy efficient design. It demonstrates our position as the market leader in high specification offshore vessels and our ability to meet the challenges of the demanding deepwater oil and gas industry.”

The design and fit out of the vessel enables it to perform almost any duty in a deepwater oil field. In addition to supporting subsea operations it can transport cargo to and from offshore oil and gas platforms and act as a rescue and oil spill response vessel.

The vessel will also include a diesel electric propulsion system incorporating four Bergen engines. These will drive two Azipull thrusters and two side thrusters, which will work in unison with a dynamic positioning system to enable the vessel to maintain position when undertaking subsea activities. A diesel electric propulsion system will significantly improve fuel efficiency and lower the vessel’s emissions.

Delivery is scheduled from STX OSV’s Brevik shipyard in Norway in the first quarter of 2014. The hull of the vessel will be delivered from STX OSV’s Braila shipyard in Romania.