Russians order Chinese AHTS design

The ships will be built in China at the Dayang shipyard, to BV class. According to Sinopacific, as well as being the first order for the SPA150 design, this is the first OSV contract to be placed in China by a Russian owner.

The SPA150 is described as a medium-sized AHTS, with 150t bollard pull from 9,000kW propulsion power. It is 72m long and of 2,400dwt. The design, like its smaller predecessor the SPA80, was developed by Sinopacific in conjunction with Shanghai Design Associates (SDA). The first SPA80 went into service with Bourbon around 11 months ago, and by all accounts has been very well received.

The SPA150 is said to offer safety, environmental protection and high load capacity, with a515m² deck area with 10t/m² uniform cargo load, high pressure hydraulic deck machinery and accommodation for 40 personnel. The four ships for Femco will be DP2 equipped, two will be Fi-Fi 1 fitted and the other two with FI-FI 2 and ORO systems. The main machinery will be provided by Norwegian and European manufacturers.

Sinopacific claims a market-leading position in OSV delivery, having now delivered 129 OSVs with about 80 more on order.