Wärtsilä has been contracted to provide the design for a large heavy construction vessel (HCV) for a ship to be built for Subsea 7 by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of South Korea.

The company’s VS 4285 HCV design will be one of most capable heavy construction vessels in Subsea 7’s fleet of more than 40 ships it said. The vessel will be deployed globally to meet increasing market demands for executing larger and more complex projects, and is designed for efficient operations in deep, ultra-deepwater and harsh environments

The new HCV will be capable of operating on a year-round basis. In finalising the design, close cooperation between Hyundai Heavy Industries as builder, Huisman for the crane and vertical laying system, and MAATS as supplier of the carousel, was essential in meeting the requirements set by Subsea 7, said Wärtsilä.

Important features include the dynamic positioning (DP) capabilities, as well as an efficient hull form.

This latest order follows a contract that Wärtsilä received last year to design a dive support vessel (DSV) for Subsea 7, also being built by HHI.

The heavy construction vessel will be 160 m (525 ft) long, 32 m (105 ft) wide and with a draught of 13.5 m (44 ft).