Seven Arctic Heavy Construction Vessel Shaping up for 2016
Wednesday 10 June 2015
Construction of Subsea 7's state-of-the-art new heavy construction vessel, the Seven Arctic, is proceeding on schedule with the vessel targeted for delivery in 2016.
The vessel, which is in dry dock at Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea, is being readied for the installation of key capabilities including a 600t Vertical Lay System (VLS) and a 900t crane.
Both the 600t Vertical Lay System (VLS) and 900t crane are currently being assembled in South Korea by Dutch heavy construction equipment manufacturer, Huisman, ready for installation later in the year.
Chief among the vessel's specifications is a unique knuckle boom rope-luffing crane which can operate in a series of configurations, with capacity of up to 900t. When combined with the 600t VLS, deck space of 2,600m², two work-class ROVs and a 7,000t underdeck basket for the storage of flexible pipe and umbilicals, the Seven Arctic will provide a step change in the management of ever more complex deepwater subsea field development projects. The unique 900t crane, with its combination of flexibility and capability, offers many different operational modes, which can be selected for 900t, 600t, 300t, and high-hook operations.
Dr Stuart N Smith, Vice President Asset Development at Subsea 7, said that the Seven Arctic will advance subsea construction capabilities, particularly in ultra-deepwater fields, which pose increasingly technical challenges.
"This vessel offers our clients the opportunity to install larger, heavier infrastructure components more efficiently and effectively," he said.