Heerema, a global contractor for the oil and gas industry, has chosen Wärtsilä’s solutions for its new semi-submersible crane vessel (NSCV).
The vessel will be built at the Sembcorp Marine Tuas Boulevard Yard in Singapore.
Upon signing the contract for the NSCV build, Sembcorp Marine said that, when completed, the vessel would be the largest of its type, and the third largest vessel overall, in the world.
The contract with Wärtsilä, the Finnish engine and power systems manufacturer, was placed in October.
Sipke Schuurmans , project director of Heerema Offshore Services, said: “We have a long-standing relationship with Wärtsilä propulsion solutions on other vessels in our fleet and look forward to successfully continuing this relationship. We have every confidence that these state-of-the-art thrusters are the right choice for this vessel, which is destined for offshore projects worldwide.”
According to Wärtsilä, eight 5500kW underwater mountable thrusters will be responsible for the accurate positioning of the vessel. Four of the eight thrusters will also be retractable, the company added. Wärtsilä has developed these four forward retractable thrusters specifically for this project, and given them the type indication WST-65RU.
They feature a combination of retractable and underwater mountable functionality. The thrusters installed at the aft of the vessel are WST-65U underwater mountable thrusters. The outboard parts of both types are completely interchangeable.
The company said that, in addition to the thrusters, the full scope of supply would include auxiliaries for steering and lubrication, the control units, and Wärtsilä’s Propulsion Condition Monitoring Service (PCMS). Wärtsilä will also supply centrifugal pump packages.
According to the company, delivery of the equipment will begin at the end of 2016.
Arto Lehtinen , Vice President, Propulsion, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, said: “For a large vessel of this type involved in offshore construction work, efficient dynamic positioning is a major requirement. The eight degree tilted propeller shaft solution that is a feature of the Wärtsilä Underwater Mountable thrusters, significantly reduces the interaction between the thrusters and the hull, thereby notably enhancing the vessel’s dynamic positioning performance. This feature, together with the retractability of the thrusters, was extremely important in the award of this valuable contract.”
The new vessel will be equipped with two cranes of 10,000 tonnes lifting capacity. The NSCV will be self-propelled with a transit speed of 10 knots.
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