DEME makes 'sizeable investment' in offshore construction vessel newbuild

DEME has ordered a 123-m, DP-2-class offshore construction vessel (OCV) to support subsea cable work from PaxOcean for the offshore wind market.

The Euronext-listed marine contractor, which specialises in offshore energy, environmental remediation, dredging, and marine infrastructure, said the methanol-ready battery-hybrid newbuild represents “a sizeable investment” – which it defines as between €50M-€150M (US$59M-US$176M).

Designed for versatility by Norway’s Salt Ship Design, the OCV will be capable of executing trenching, burial, and cable-laying operations, complementing DEME’s existing fleet of cable installation and multipurpose support vessels, Living Stone and Viking Neptun.

Based on the advanced Norwegian Salt 310 design, the 123-m OCV will be equipped with a DP2 dynamic positioning system, accommodation for 123, a 150-t active heave-compensated offshore crane, a hangar for two Work Class ROVs, a hybrid 1,000-kWh battery system, and a methanol-ready propulsion design for future fuel flexibility.

Below deck, the vessel is configured to accommodate two 2,500-t cable carousels, supporting trenching, burial, and cable-laying operations.

From the vessel, an ROV trencher can be launched to execute subsea cable installation operations, working in synergy with DEME’s cable installation fleet. The OCV will be constructed at PaxOcean’s Zhoushan shipyard in China for delivery in 2028.