Six-AHTS contract is biggest deck gear order for Rolls-Royce

The 95m long vessels are designed by Salt Ship Design, and will be built at Kleven’s two shipyards in Norway: Kleven Verft and Myklebust Verft. Each will be equipped with a triple drum main anchor handling winch with a pull capacity of 500t; two secondary winches; cargo securing winches and other auxiliary winches; and a dry bulk cargo system. Rolls-Royce will, in addition, supply rudders and steering gear for all six vessels. The contract includes an additional option for an anchor recovery frame, used for assisting launch and recovery of anchors. The contract value for Rolls-Royce is stated to be in excess of £54million, and the company says it represents the largest single contract for deck machinery that it has won so far. There is an option for an additional four vessels.

Delivery of the six vessels from Kleven is scheduled to take place between the fourth quarter of 2016 and the third quarter of 2017. If the additional four options are declared, this will take the delivery timetable up to the first quarter of 2018.

Kleven CEO Ståle Rasmussen said: “We look forward to working closely with Rolls-Royce on this large and important project for Maersk. This large order shows the capabilities of the maritime cluster in Norway, and close cooperation within the cluster is an asset to our customers.”

John Knudsen, president commercial marine, Rolls-Royce, said: “The more complex vessels become, and the greater the focus on safety and efficiency, the more differentiated are the kinds of deck machinery our customers need. We are very proud to be chosen by Kleven and Maersk for this significant order.”