Aker Wayfarer to be Modified for Subsea Work

Kleven’s Myklebust Verft in Gursken, Norway, has signed a modification contract with Ocean Yield ASA, a ship owning company with investments within oil-service and industrial shipping, to convert the Aker Wayfarer into a deepwater subsea equipment support vessel (SESV). The vessel is presently under long term charter with AKOFS Offshore.

The modifications made at Myklebust Verft will enable the deepwater subsea equipment support vessel to install and retrieve deepwater subsea equipment; subsea trees and modules, including subsea structures and manifolds. Designed by Vard Design and delivered from Vard Søviknes in 2010, the 157m long, 27m wide and 16,000t Aker Wayfarer will be the largest vessel that has been in dock at Myklebust Verft.

“We acquired this dock two years ago in order to facilitate service, repair and rebuilding of larger offshore vessels, just like Aker Wayfarer,” said Ståle Rasmussen, CEO of Kleven. “Myklebust Verft’s location, in the very heart of the maritime cluster at Sunnmøre, is a great advantage for all parties involved, and this project serves as a great example of local cooperation between Kleven, Vard and Rolls-Royce.”

Rolls-Royce in Hjørungavåg will supply a complete module handling system. According to Rolls-Royce, the £24 million contract marks the largest single subsea vessel project ever undertaken by the company.

John Knudsen, Rolls-Royce President Commercial Marine, said, “This is a very important contract for Rolls-Royce, and it shows that the offshore industry has taken yet another step in accepting the superior performance of synthetic fiber ropes for lifting operations in deep and ultra-deep waters.”

The Rolls-Royce automated handling system consists of a complete tower structure, skid system, deepwater lifting system as well as power units and controls. The deepwater lifting system is a Fiber Rope Deployment System (FRDS), based on our patented Cable Traction Control Unit (CTCU) technology.

The Rolls-Royce equipment is due for a delivery in the first quarter of 2016, and Aker Wayfarer is due to commence operations within the fourth quarter of 2016 after completion of the scheduled modification work.

A similar system was installed by Rolls-Royce in 2009 onboard the AKOFS operated subsea equipment support vessel Skandi Santos, which has now been on contract with Petrobras for nearly five years. The vessel has successfully installed and retrieved subsea trees and modules in water depths up to 2,300 meters.

Geir Sjøberg, CEO of AKOFS Offshore, said, “Skandi Santos has been rated by Petrobras as one of their top performing vessels. Its track record makes us confident in the decision to install the handling system from Rolls-Royce on Aker Wayfarer.”