Latest North Sea IMR ship is named

The Ice-C class vessel, to Ulstein’s SX-148 design, is 106.5m long and 24.5m wide. It has diesel-electric propulsion and electrically-powered winches to reduce harmful emissions. With a crew capacity of 90 and a top speed of 17 knots, Seven Viking will work for Statoil on a five year contract. According to Ulstein, it will carry out tasks including inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea installations in addition to scale treatment and RFO (ready for operations) work scopes.

The design incorporates the X-bow hull form for reduced motion in transit and stability in the high waves experienced in the North Sea. The layout is intended to maximize the use of space within the relatively compact hull, the dimensions of which are limited by the need to manoeuvre between platforms and in other constrained spaces. All necessary maintenance equipment is integrated within the large hangar area, allowing most tasks to be undertaken without the need to break off operations and keep downtime to a minimum. The hangar contains a customised module handling system for the safe launch and retrieval of subsea modules weighing up to 70t through the moon pool. All operational personnel are gathered in one area adjacent to the hangar, with panoramic windows in the control room giving a full overview of this key activity area.

Seven Viking is classified as comfort class COMF-V (3), with low noise levels, and carries the Clkean Design notation.

Gunvor Ulstein, Ulstein Group CEO said: “Ulstein is proud to deliver a vessel of unmatched technical and operational capacity in its sector, and I am confident that the Seven Viking will meet Statoil’s expectations.”

Jan Fredrik Meling, CEO Eidesvik Offshore said: “We in Eidesvik are very satisfied with the close and constructive cooperation with Subsea 7. The relationship between our companies has developed over many years and has enabled us, together with Ulstein, to launch this outstanding vessel.”

Subsea 7 vice president for Norway Stuart Fitzgerald said: “The collective effort, and strong cooperation, between Ulstein, Eidesvik and Subsea 7, has resulted in the Seven Viking. The Seven Viking represents another class leading asset in the Subsea 7 fleet and captures Subsea 7’s unparalleled experience with IMR operations in harsh environments. The design and build of this state of the art vessel would not have been possible without the expertise and dedication of many people within both Subsea 7 and our project partners, and we take pride in their achievement. We look forward to many years of safe and efficient operations with Seven Viking for our customer, Statoil.”