Azerbaijan’s Baku Shipyard has completed sea trials for the subsea construction vessel (SCV) Khankendi, which is being built under BP-operated Shah Deniz Stage 2 Project in the Caspian Sea.
The vessel has been specifically designed and built to install subsea structures of the giant Shah Deniz Stage 2 gas development project. It will perform subsea construction activities on the field for the next ten years.
The six-week trial took place in the Caspian Sea and represented the vessel’s initial voyage in open waters, the Azeri shipyard informed on Thursday.
The shipyard said that throughout nearly two months of intense diagnostics, maritime experts executed more than 120 different tests designed to evaluate everything from Khankendi’s engine and propulsion performance to its dynamic positioning, navigation systems, cabin acoustics as well as the offshore capabilities.
The completion of sea trials brings the shipyard step closer to the imminent delivery of vessel to BP, which is now back at the shipyard for finishing touches ahead of its naming ceremony scheduled for early September.
The vessel will be equipped with dynamic positioning to allow working in 2.5 meter wave height (Hs), a 900 metric tonne main crane for 600m subsea operation, an 18-man two-bell diving system, two work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), a strengthened moon pool, two engine rooms with 6×4.4MW + 2×3.2MW generators and has a total weight of 17,600 tonnes and a carrying capacity of 5,000 metric tonnes at 6.5 meters draft.