Five-vessel contract for offshore oil and gas walk-to-work SOVs goes to Norwegian shipyard

Norwegian shipyard Vard is set to build five vessels for an unnamed shipowner in the offshore oil and gas sector.

The specialised vessel builder said it had signed contract for the design and construction of five walk-to-work (W2W) vessels with an international customer.

The newbuilds will be built to an in-house Vard 3 32 design, in close collaboration with the customer, the shipyard said.

"The vessels are equipped with a diesel/electric and battery-hybrid propulsion system, a 3-D motion compensated gangway system as well as a 3-D motion compensated crane, and a comprehensive accommodation," Vard said in a statement.

The SOVs will measure in at a length of approximately 88m and a beam of about 19.8 m with workshops and warehouse facilities for onboard fabrication and maintenance work. With power generation redundancies, the vessel will be operational year-round, Vard said, noting that the DC-power plant is a battery-hybrid system with 2700 kWh battery capacity. The vessels each can accommodate 190 people.

"The vessels are highly versatile platforms for offshore support operations focusing on onboard logistics, comfort, large storage capacities and superior operability. The design is prepared for extensive use of electric power in the future, providing a sustainable option," Vard Group CEO Cathrine Kristiseter Marti said.