Norwegian shipbuilder VARD has launched the 121-metre Orient Trailblazer for Taiwanese offshore contractor Dong Fang Offshore at its Brăila yard in Romania, with the hull now set to head to Norway for final outfitting and delivery, according to VARD.
The launch of NB 988 took place on 21 August. The vessel will be completed, commissioned and delivered at Vard Søviknes in Norway in the second quarter of 2027.
“The launching is a big milestone for VARD bringing together colleagues from both Romania and Norway,” the company added.
Based on the VARD 3 39 design, the vessel is intended for subsea work, offshore wind operations and maintenance, and cable installation and repair in the offshore wind and telecommunications sectors.
VARD’s construction specification gives the vessel a length of 121.3 metres and a beam of 23 metres. It will accommodate up to 130 people in 90 cabins and have a maximum speed of 14 knots.
The newbuild will be equipped with a 250-tonne active heave-compensated offshore crane, a 1,200-square-metre work deck, DP2 positioning and ROV hangars on both sides.
The design also allows for future installation of an under-deck cable carousel, a large trencher, a motion-compensated gangway and a helideck. Dong Fang Offshore lists Orient Trailblazer as IMO 1125429 and classifies it as a construction support vessel.
The vessel was ordered in April 2025 under a €113.5m ($131.8m) contract that included options for additional ships. It is the third vessel VARD is building for Dong Fang Offshore after two commissioning service operation vessels contracted in May 2024, and is DFO’s first purpose-built offshore subsea construction newbuild.
Dong Fang Offshore was established in Taiwan in 2019 and provides marine construction, offshore operations and maintenance, and cable-related services for the offshore wind, energy and telecommunications sectors.
VARD is a Norwegian specialist shipbuilder and a subsidiary of Italy’s Fincantieri Group. Fincantieri is an Italian shipbuilding group.