Kleven and Rolls-Royce undertake large conversion project

The 157m long, 16,000dwt ship was designed by Vard, delivered from Vard Søviknes in 2010, is owned by Ocean Yield and is currently under long term charter with AKOFS Offshore. At Myklebust Verft, the vessel will be modified in order to become a deepwater subsea equipment support vessel, allowing it to install and retrieve subsea trees and modules, including subsea structures and manifolds. It will be the largest vessel to have been in dock at Myklebust , and the project represents the largest single subsea vessel project undertaken by Rolls-Royce.

“We acquired this dock two years ago, in order to facilitate service, repair and rebuilding of larger offshore vessels, just like Aker Wayfarer,” said Ståle Rasmussen, CEO of Kleven. “Myklebust Verft’s location, in the very heart of the maritime cluster at Sunnmøre, is a great advantage for all parties involved, and this project serves as a great example of local cooperation between Kleven, Vard and Rolls-Royce.”

Rolls-Royce is supplying the topside equipment, featuring an automated handling system consisting of a complete tower structure, skid system, deepwater lifting system as well as power units and controls. The deepwater fibre rope deployment system is based on Rolls-Royce’s patented cable traction control unit. The work, valued at £24million, is scheduled for completion in 2016.

John Knudsen, Rolls-Royce president commercial marine, said: “This a very important contract for Rolls-Royce and it shows that the offshore industry has taken yet another step in accepting the superior performance of synthetic fibre ropes for lifting operations in deep and ultra-deep waters.”

A similar system installed by Rolls-Royce in 2009 on the AKOFS operated Skandi Santos has successfully installed and retrieved subsea trees and modules in water depths up to 2,300m.