Switzerland-headquartered offshore pipeline installation, heavy lift, and subsea construction contractor Allseas has enlarged its fleet with two newbuild offshore construction vessels (OCVs) with methanol-ready propulsion design to position itself for long-term growth in a rapidly evolving market by strengthening its offshore capabilities.
Following a thorough evaluation of all options to expand its fleet’s versatility and meet future market demand, the Swiss player, which sees the acquisition of the OCV duo as a strategic investment, signed contracts for these vessels on April 9, with construction to take place at Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group in China.
These ships, based on the SALT 308 OCV design, feature advanced equipment and systems to deliver what is expected to be enhanced performance, flexibility, and functionality. Allseas believes that the new vessels will boost its construction and support capacity, enabling greater deployment flexibility and freeing up existing OCVs for larger, more complex scopes of work.
Dries van Strijp , Allseas’ Vice President Operations, highlighted: “We recognised a clear need to optimise our vessel deployment to support an increasingly diverse and complex project portfolio.
“ After carefully exploring all available options, it became clear that securing two next-generation newbuilds – fully optimised with the latest technology – was the best long-term solution to strengthen our capabilities and capture new opportunities in a growing offshore market.”
The company expects to remain at the forefront of the growing offshore construction and subsea installation sectors, thanks to the new fleet additions. While the first vessel is slated for delivery in September 2026, the second one will follow suit in December 2026. Each of these vessels will measure 100 meters in length, feature a 1,100 cubic meter cargo deck, and accommodate up to 110 personnel.
The duo will be equipped with a DP2 dynamic positioning system, a 150-ton active heave-compensated offshore crane, a hangar housing two work-class ROVs, a hybrid 1,500-kWh battery energy storage system, and a methanol-ready propulsion design for future fuel flexibility.
Moreover, the two new fleet additions are designed with maximum operational versatility in mind to be ideally suited for subsea construction, ROV support, and inspection, maintenance, and repair activities.
The firm is adamant that these vessels expand its operational flexibility and reinforce its commitment to delivering sustainable, future-ready solutions to the global offshore energy industry.
Recently, Allseas hired Vallourec to deliver line pipes for Petrobras’ giant deepwater field, following its preparation for the job at this field, which is considered to be Brazil’s second-largest oil field.