Normand Clipper

Ship history

2001: Delivered from Ulstein Verft (Yno 258) to Solstad Cable Ships AS. A large vessel of the VS 4125 CLV design, designed for the laying and maintenance of fibre-optic cable. The vessel was chartered by TyCom.

2005: The vessel underwent a major conversion (Yno 20258) at Ulstein Verft to a deepwater subsea construction and umbilical lay DP vessel, the same type of conversion as her sister vessel, the Normand Cutter. The vessel was chartered by Clough Ltd. The extension of the conversion was similar to the new build of a platform supply vessel and was carried out in five months.

Prior to the conversion, the ship accommodated 70 people. More people are needed for construction work, and the superstructure was lengthened to accommodate more cabins. Also, an ROV hangar and control room, offices and conference rooms were added, new lifeboats and davits. A moonpool for subsea operations was installed. The ship already had a DPII system, which was upgraded, and the DP control desks were moved to the aft bridge. New manoeuver desks were installed aft. Ulstein Verft mounted the crane pedestal for a 250t heave compensated offshore crane on the port side. A new transformer and switchboard room securing the crane electricity was installed. The 25t-crane previously positioned on the port side was moved to the starboard side and was upgraded for a depth of 500m. The ship was widened 3.6 m by mounting side tanks on either side. The increased beam was needed for extra deck equipment, but also to compensate for the weight displacement when the largest of the cranes is in use. The amount of new steel in the vessel counts to approx. 1,300t. The work deck needed extra strengthening to sustain a full load of pipes and equipment. The distance between the ribs was reduced and several decks were reinforced. The deck can tolerate 10t per m2, compared to the previous 3t per m2.

2012: Commenced on a five-year contract for Ocean Installer. The company refers to the vessel as a Construction Support Vessel (CSV), well suited for both shallow and deepwater operations. With her DP class II system, 250t crane capacity and 1700m² deck, she is rated as a highly efficient CSV in the subsea construction market.

From June 2017, Deep Sea Supply, Solstad Shipping and Farstad Shipping became one joint shipowning company, from 1 October 2018 the joint company is named Solstad Offshore.

January 2019: Contract for Rever Offshore UK Ltd on North Sea work, contract period a minimum of 120 days.

November 2019: Entering the OWEG industry: Solstad Offshore ASA has been awarded a long-term contract with Global Offshore, part of the Global Marine Group for CSV Normand Clipper. The contract will commence in 1Q 2020 and have a duration of 3 years firm plus 5 years options thereafter. Global Offshore will utilize the vessel to support their cable lay operations within the renewable energy and oil & gas sectors.

"The dynamic positioning class 2 vessel is being fitted with a 4,000-tonne cable carousel, two 15-tonne cable tensioners, a 25-tonne quadrant deployment frame and a fully integrated control system. In the offshore wind sector, the company is targeting inter-array cable installation work. The vessel, which will also be capable of repair and replacement, will be capable of operating in a significant wave height of up to 3.0 m. When not working in the offshore wind sector, Normand Clipper will also be able to install fibre optic telecoms cables and has two 12-tonne linear cable engines, jointing and testing capability, a cable plough, trenching system and work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for post-lay inspection. The highly flexible ship will also be capable of working as a dedicated trenching vessel and undertaking inspection, maintenance and repair work. In this mode, it will have a Q1400 trencher capable of jetting and cutting and a launch and retrieval system, an 800 m³ clear deck and ship side access, plus two work-class ROVs and an inspection-class ROV." (Source: Riviera Maritime Media)

2022: Global Marine Group has present contract with three years to May 2026, and additional options thereafter. They will continue to utilize the vessel to support their world-wide cable lay operations.