A new state-of-the-art harsh environment vessel, the Seven Viking, has been unveiled and named in Stavanger, Norway by Subsea 7, Eidesvik Offshore and Ulstein.

The Inspection, Maintenance and Repair (IMR) vessel is co-owned by Subsea 7 and Eidesvik, and has been constructed in partnership with Ulstein. The ICE-C class vessel, with a crew capacity of 90 and a top speed of 17 knots, will work for Statoil on a 5-year contract.

It has been custom-built according to the operator’s specifications to carry out tasks including inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea installations in addition to scale treatment and RFO (Ready For Operations) work scopes.

The Seven Viking incorporates the X-BOW® hull line design to reduce motion in transit, and gives increased stability in the potentially high waves that characterise the North Sea, said Subsea 7. It added that this version of the Ulstein SX148 design had also been crafted to be compact in size, measuring 106.5 m long and 24.5 m wide. The dimensions will allow the Seven Viking to manoeuvre with ease in confined spaces, it said, such as between platforms, accessing difficult to reach areas.

A customised module handling system (MHS) has been integrated in the ship’s hangar for the safe launch and retrieval of subsea modules weighing up to 70 tons through the moon pool.

Offshore