Dutch deepwater construction vessel launched

Dutch marine contractor Heerema Marine Contractor (HMC) officially launched their new 210m by 46.2m deepwater construction vessel (DCV), Aegir, on Sunday, preparing it for its voyages to Mexico and then Australia for FPSO and CPF construction works.

Started in July 2010 in Okpo, South Korea and continued in Rotterdam in March, the vessel is the first in the world to make use of a portable reel system which means the ship does not need to sail back and forth to shore. It will also offer sufficient lifting capacity, up to 4000 mT, to install platforms in relatively shallow water.

Aegir’s first project will be the installation of risers at a depth of 2,000 meters in the Gulf of Mexico’s Lucius Field for US firm Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.

The vessel will then be deployed to Australia where HMC will carry out the construction of in-field flowlines, subsea structures and moorings for future FPSO and CPF facilities at Australian firm INPEX’s Ichthys Offshore Development, 200 km off the coast of Western Australia.