Keppel inks OSV orders

Keppel Singmarine, a wholly owned subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd. (Keppel O&M) has secured orders for three offshore support vessels (OSVs) and two tugboats totalling $49 million. The vessels will be delivered to their owners by the end 2006.

The yard will build one ice-class OSV for anchor handling and supply purposes for a new customer, the Russian oil company Lukoil Kaliningradmorneft (LUKOIL). When completed at end 2006, the vessel will be deployed in the Caspian Sea region. The other two OSVs are for repeat-customer Groupe Bourbon. With these two 100-tonne bollard pull anchor handling tugs, Keppel Singmarine’s orders from Bourbon will add up to a total of seven vessels.

Keppel Smit Towage, a joint venture between Keppel and Smit International Singapore, has placed an order for two tugboats, designed by Keppel’s Marine Technology Development.

Keppel Singmarine now has 19 vessels under construction, having delivered five since the beginning of 2005. Its strong orderbook has made the shipbuilder one of the world’s leading builders of offshore support vessels.