Maersk Supply Service Orders Six Anchor Handlers

Kleven Maritime A/S has been contracted by Maersk Supply Service to build six anchor handling tug supply vessels, with options for four additional newbuilds.

The vessels, all of Salt Ship Design’s SALT 200 AHTS design, will be built at Kleven's two shipyards in Norway, Kleven Verft and Myklebust Verft for deepwater operations for potential customers including international oil companies and construction companies worldwide. The first six vessels are to be delivered between the fourth quarter of 2016 and the third quarter of 2017, the builder said. If all options are declared, the last vessel in the series is to be delivered in the first quarter of 2018.

The order brings Maersk Supply Service’s newbuildings order book to 12, including five subsea support vessels and one anchor handling tug supply vessel to be delivered from shipyards in Romania, China and Chile.

Maersk Supply Service CEO, Carsten Plougmann Andersen, said, “With this contract, Maersk Supply Service is once again placing a newbuilding order in Norway, and with this we have taken the next step in our extensive newbuilding program renewing our fleet with focus on large Anchor Handling Tug Supply and Subsea Support Vessels. The contract now concluded with Kleven is an important part of the realization of our ambitious growth strategy.”

“With the many advanced, high-end newbuildings being delivered over the years to come, we want our customers to remain confident that we are prepared to deliver on their demands and provide premium service in terms of reliability, safety and uptime,” Carsten Plougmann Andersen continued. “In our newbuilding project with Kleven, we have carefully designed the entire vessel with this in mind. An example is the installation of the most fuel efficient and flexible hybrid propulsion system with fixed pitch on all side thrusters, providing high reliability and back-up system, good fuel economy, low emissions and excellent station keeping.”

Ståle Rasmussen, CEO of Kleven, said, “We are proud of the fact that Maersk Supply Service has chosen Kleven to build their new range of anchor handlers. This proves that Kleven is competitive worldwide, based on our quality, punctuality and price. We look forward to working closely with Maersk Supply Service on this large and important project, to ensure it is a success for all parties involved.”

Generating further value across the Norwegian maritime community, a number of Norwegian equipment manufacturers and suppliers will also contribute to the project.

Main specifications for the new vessels:

• Length: 95 meters
• Beam: 25 meters
• Deadweight: Approx. 4,500 metric tons
• Free deck: 944 square meter deck area in total, 822 square meter open deck area
• DP: Class 2
• BHP: 23,000
• Bollard pull: min 230 metric tons
• Winch: 500 metric tons, with a three-drum configuration
• Configured to accommodate 52 persons in single cabins
• ROV garage
• Design: Salt 200