First steel for Ulstein integrated vessel design

Published

After the Dutch offshore contractor Van Oord awarded the design and equipment contract for their new subsea rock installation (SRI) vessel ‘Bravenes’ to Ulstein in September 2014 and contracting Sinopacific for the construction of the vessel, first steel has now been cut for this innovative vessel.

She is set to be delivered by end 2016. Working in close cooperation with Van Oord, it is the first fully integrated design where the Dutch Ulstein companies have been responsible for the development and integration of both the mission equipment and vessel design.

The DP-3 vessel is a unique design featuring the distinct X-BOW® hull line and meets the requirements for Clean Design Notation, Green Passport and Ice Class 1A – PC7. The vessel and its equipment are designed for year-round operability in harsh weather and high-sea states.

Ulstein will also supply the main Fall Pipe Deployment system and the majority of the ancillary systems of the rock installation tower. Ulstein puts a strong focus on simplicity, by mechanizing the systems as much as possible, enabling higher levels of safety and control and as such minimising human interaction during the deployment and recovery of the fall pipe.