Keel laying for a record project at Ulstein Verft

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Laying down a coin for a ship under construction generally takes place at the keel laying, in the early stages of a shipbuilding project. The coin will give good fortune to the vessel and those who sail on her.

Several representatives from the ship owner, Island Offshore, were present in the dock hall to witness the heave of the first section, which alone measures 28m x 22.5m and weighs 380t. The section has been produced by the Ulstein Verft's division in Vanylven, and arrived Ulsteinvik on a barge.

Engineering capacity to redesign during construction

Much engineering has been needed during the construction project, as the vessel needed to be redesigned underway in order to be prepared for a future assignment.

At the time of contracting, in 2013, the vessel main characteristics were a beam of 28 metres and a length of 145.7 metres, and an accommodation of 200 people. During the project these numbers have increased to a beam of 30 metres, a length of 159.8 metres and an accommodation of 239. Deadweight is close to 14,000 tonnes. The design changes result in increased deck area and tank capacities. The steel volume is approx. 8,800 tonnes, or more than five platform supply vessels. The vessel is, so far, the largest in the history of Ulstein Verft.

Engineering pool and short distances between design and shipbuilding companies give flexibility

"Ulstein Verft has the strength that we are close to the design company and we have a large technical department with capacity and capability to adjust the designs according to customer's needs. This makes us fast and flexible to take on major change orders," says Per Svein Brekke, project manager at Ulstein Verft.