Ship designer and builder Vard Holdings has agreed a letter of intent with Solstad Offshore for the design and construction of a large offshore subsea construction vessel (OSCV).
The contract will be the largest single vessel order in VARD’s history and the vessel will become the largest in Solstad’s fleet, when built.
The vessel will be a VARD 3 19 design, developed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway. The hull will be built at Vard Tulcea in Romania, with outfitting at Vard Brattvaag, Norway. Delivery is scheduled for 2Q 2016.
The vessel will have a 550-ton top tension vertical lay system, enabling the installation of large diameter flexible pipes in ultra-deep water and in harsher environments. In addition, it will feature a 600-ton active heave compensated offshore crane and a 4000-ton under-deck carousel, for storage of flexible pipes, cables, and umbilicals.
The vessel will be about 180m-long and 33m-wide, and it will have a deck area of more than 500sq m.
The order comes after Solstad signed a letter of intent with a major international offshore contracting company to construct and operate a large subsea construction vessel. The intention is that the client will charter the vessel from Solstad for eight years, with three one year options.