New Deepwater Construction Vessel

Heerema Marine Contractors (HMC) is investing US$1 billion in a new deepwater construction vessel. The new vessel will feature unrivalled speeds and state-of-the-art equipment. It will enable HMC to operate in remote areas and ultra deepwater increasing the pace of field development worldwide. Once the vessel enters the market in 2010, it will secure construction capacity for at least another three decades. The conceptual design was prepared in-house by Heerema Marine Contractors.

The new vessel will be 220 meters long and 88 meters wide. It will have a maximum speed of 20 knots. The high speed capacity of the new vessel will dramatically cut travel time between various project locations improving productivity in a broader range of geographic areas. There will be facilities for 550 people, upgradeable to 750 people. Payload is 25,000 tonnes and the power generation capacity will be of 75 MW. The Dynamic Positioning Station keeping system will be to NMD Class III.

The dual crane capacity of 15,000 t will enable installation of the largest and heaviest fixed and floating structures to date. The new J-Lay tower and deepwater lowering construction will facilitate installation of pipelines and structures from 200 to 3,500 meters water depth with a maximum of 32” diameter. The tension capacity will be 2,000 t.

Because of its design and speed, the new vessel will make offshore construction in the Arctic feasible. The placement of the cranes, the J-Lay tower and other installation equipment, as well as the structural quality of the hull and thrusters, are well suited for the Arctic.