A new deepwater subsea construction ship is set to hit the global installation market in a couple of years’ time after two Letters of Intent were finalised with firm contracts.

Solstad Offshore has committed to building the new offshore subsea construction vessel (OSCV) on behalf of an unnamed international offshore contractor following the award of two firm contracts, following Letters of Intent (LoI) originally issued in March. At the time Solstad received one LoI from an international installation contractor to build and operate a new OSCV. Solstad also committed to an LoI with Norway’s Vard group to build the vessel.

Based on a vessel layout developed by Vard Design of Ålesund, Norway, the shipbuilder says the new vessel is the largest single order in the company’s history.

Hull construction will be carried out by Vard’s Tulcea yard in Romania, while outfitting will be done by Vard Brattvaag in Norway, where the new OSCV is to be equipped with a 550-ton top tension vertical lay system for ultra-deepwater flexible pipe installation, and a 900 ton active heave-compensated crane. The new vessel will also feature a 4,000 ton under-deck carousel for flexible pipe, cable and umbilical storage.

Delivery of the vessel, 180?m (590 ft) long with a 33?m (108?ft) beam, and offering up to 2,500 sq m of deck space, is scheduled for second-quarter 2016.

Offshore