DeepOcean UK, a subsidiary of DeepOcean Group Holding BV, yesterday announced that the company has entered into a 7 year charter agreement with Maersk Supply Services, for a new build next generation cable lay vessel. The vessel is the DOC 8500, a Damen Offshore Carrier which has been designed specifically to suit DeepOcean’s requirements, the Company said in a press release.
The DOC 8500 will extend DeepOcean’s capabilities in the larger cable laying end of the market, representing a new focus on Interconnector projects, in addition to oil & gas sector and renewables work. The specially-equipped vessel will be delivered from the Damen Galati yard in Romania.
Owned and operated by Maersk Supply Service, the vessel will become the latest addition to the 60-plus strong Maersk offshore support vessel fleet.
Remko Bouma of Damen Shipyards Bergum, who is overseeing vessel construction, describes the DOC 8500 as a “semi-customised, modular” design. For DeepOcean, the ship-to-ship rule compliant vessel has been configured to accommodate 90 personnel, mostly in single occupancy cabins.
“The DOC 8500 has been developed as a flexible platform for both transport and installation work offshore,” says Mr Bouma. “Its bow and slender hull optimise sea keeping in rough seas and suppress slamming. The ship will run on either MGO or HFO and has DP2 capabilities in line with offshore market preferences. Its high on-deck cable carrying capacity makes it particularly competitive as a cable layer, while the vessel has also been optimised for shallow water operations, coming complete with a seven-point mooring system and the ability to take the ground fully loaded.”
The 138m length, 27.5m breadth DOC 8500 features 2,200 m² of unobstructed deck of 20T/m2 load capacity with ro-ro capability. The 9,300dwt vessel will have a top speed of 12 knots.
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