Maersk Supply Service, part of Denmark’s AP Moller-Maersk Group, has ordered four new subsea support vessels from China’s Cosco (Dalian) Shipyard in a deal worth over US$470M.
The deal includes an option for a further two vessels. The first of the four is scheduled for delivery in the last quarter of 2016 and the remaining vessels by the first quarter of 2017.
The vessels are designed for operation in water depths up to 3,000 metres. They are Marin Teknikk 6027 design vessels, 137 metres long with a 27 metre beam and 8,000 tonne deadweight. They will have 1,925 sq m of free deck space with a 400 tonne AHC crane and accommodation for up to 120 people.
The design includes an option for addition of an under deck carousel for 3,000 tonnes of product. It will also be configured to allow a 275 tonne vertical lay tower over the deck of the moon pool.
Maersk Supply Service chief executive Carsten Plougmann Andersen said: “With this new order in China, we have taken the next step in our extensive new-building programme.
“We are reshaping our fleet to focus primarily on Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessels and Subsea Support Vessels. In a long term perspective we see great potential in these segments.”
Maersk Supply Service already has one subsea supply vessel and two Anchor Handling Tug Supply vessels on order from shipyards in Romania and in Chile.
