Seven Viking IMR vessel adapted for harsh Norwegian conditions

Offshore staff

STAVANGER, Norway – Ulstein has held a naming ceremony for its latest inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) vessel.

TheSeven Viking vessel, designed to operate in harsh offshore environments, is co-owned by Subsea 7 and Eidesvik.

The ICE-C class vessel, which will have a top speed of 17 knots and capacity for a crew of 90, will work forStatoil on a five-year contract offshore Norway.

It has been customized to Statoil’s requirements for tasks including IMR of subsea installations, scale treatment, and ready for operations work.

Its X-Bow hull line is designed to reduce motion in transit and give increased stability in high waves in the North Sea.

This version of the Ulstein SX148 design is more compact than usual, measuring 106.5 m (349 ft) long and 24.5 m (80.4 ft) wide. According to Subsea 7, these dimensions should help the vessel maneuver better in confined spaces, i.e. between platforms, accessing difficult to reach areas.

Hull space is maximized and equipment integrated within a large hangar area, allowing maintenance equipment to be kept on board to minimize operational downtime.

A customized module handling system is integrated in the ship’s hangar for safe launch and retrieval through the moonpool of subsea modules weighing up to 70 tons.

Noise levels in the hangar will be kept down through use of electric winches for the ROVs and other utility equipment.

2/4/2013