In May, the first of four long distance towing and anchor handling vessels of the Ulstein SX157 design was delivered to ALP Maritime Services. ALP Striker has a bollard pull of 300 tonnes.
The Future-class vessels have a service speed of 13 knots and maximum speed of 19 knots. With fuel capacity of more than 3,500m3, they can tow at full power for 45 days, sufficient for non-stop transatlantic, transpacific and trans Indian Ocean towing operations without fuel stops. The vessels are being constructed by Niigata Shipbuilding & Repair in Japan and were developed for ALP Maritime with close collaboration between the ship designer and the owner, which is a subsidiary of Teekay Offshore Partners.
Ulstein recently unveiled the LX109, a high capacity, highly efficient, compact cablelay vessel. The company has a patent pending on the Ulstein Cable Arch system in combination with the open top vessel design. The Cable Arch connects the forward and aft turntables, allowing the vessel to load and lay one continuous cable of up to 12,500 tonnes.
“This capacity was made possible by positioning the turntables in the hull instead of their conventional location on deck, improving the vessel’s stability,” said Ulstein. This feature is also applied on an Ulstein-designed rock installation vessel currently under construction. “This approach resulted in a slim vessel that can transport and lay cable much more efficiently than conventional vessel designs with larger beam,” Ulstein said in a statement.
Locating the asymmetrical bridge aft, with the cable passing underneath, provides clear and unobstructed views of the cablelay work deck and cable stingers aft and turntables forward. The vessel also has a large hangar with a remotely operated vehicle, moonpool and workboat storage. In combination with the X-Bow and X-Stern hull features, the company claims this will result in a very cost efficient, safe and comfortable platform with superior operational uptime and transit speed, compared to conventional cablelay units. The LX109 cablelay vessel is 151.6m long and 28m wide. It is a DP2 vessel powered by four main generators, each producing 3,492kW, driving two 3,700kW propulsion azimuthing thrusters, a forward retractable 2,000kW thruster and two 2,500kW tunnel thrusters, giving a speed of 15 knots.
Among recent deliveries from Ulstein is the offshore construction vessel Island Venture built to Ulstein’s SX165 design.
Gunnar Haug, Ulstein’s general manager for Asia, based in Singapore, commented on the current need for Norwegian builders to adapt their approach. “As builders and designers we are having to switch from building Bentleys to building Toyota Corollas, with lower building costs and lower vessel operating costs. We are looking to save on capital costs, especially in terms of powering vessels. If we can reduce the powering and engine capacity, we can make a substantial impact on the pricing of vessels. When the market was good there was a tendency to over specify vessels.”
In April Ulstein launched the first vessel to be constructed featuring its X-Stern. Two windfarm support vessels are being built for Bernhard Schulte Offshore affiliate Windea Offshore, for Siemens to service the Gemini offshore wind park in The Netherlands. The design is based on the Ulstein SX175 design, with X-Bow and X-Stern to improve seakeeping when alongside wind turbines.
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