Solstad Orders Large Construction Vessel

Ulstein Verft AS will build a large construction vessel for Solstad. The contract is worth around $98.8 million and the vessel will be delivered in May 2007.

“We have won this demanding project in competition with several other shipyards and the contract confirms that Ulstein Verft is a leader when it comes to offshore construction vessels, and our good cooperation with Solstad,” said Tore Ulstein, the president of Ulstein Verft. The vessel is going to be used for very demanding marine operations, and during the last two years Ulstein Verft has signed contracts for two major conversions and two new builds within the offshore construction market, all ordered from Solstad.

“We have a tight delivery schedule ahead with deliveries of new builds every second or third month, but we appreciate having a lot to do,” said Harald Møller, Ulstein Verft’s sales manager. The vessel is around the same size as build number 271, “Normand Installer”, which is currently under construction at Ulstein Verft, and is one of the largest build projects at the shipyard so far. Vik-Sandvik is responsible for the design. “This vessel will be a few meters longer, otherwise the differences have more to do with its outfitting,” said Møller. “The vessel is going to be used for offshore construction work and will, among other things, be equipped with a moonpool, a 250 metric ton heave compensated crane, and class 3 dynamic positioning (DP3). It will have diesel electric propulsion. With a length of 130 metres, beam of 28 metres and steel weighing around 5,700 metric tons the vessel will loom large in Ulstein Verft’s dock hall. The hull will be built at Maritim-Shipyard Sp. z.o.o. in Poland, while the superstructure will be built at the Ulstein Verft’s Vanylven department.

Solstad Shipping is focusing strongly on the offshore and construction market. Of their current fleet of 40 vessels, 9 are platform supply vessels, while the other 31 are anchor handling vessels or offshore construction vessels.

“We are concentrating on becoming one of the leading operators within the construction market. We believe that future growth in the offshore industry will take place outside the North Sea. As far as we are concerned there will be fewer supply tasks, instead the number of construction and subsea tasks will increase,” says Lars Peder Solstad, Solstad’s managing director. “We chose Ulstein Verft because they have demonstrated they are able to build advanced vessels in the agreed timeframe,” he says.