VT Halter wins USN contract for survey vessel

Singapore-based ST Engineering announced that its US shipyard, VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Mississippi, has been awarded a contract worth $87 million to build an enhanced version of a T-AGS 60 Class oceanographic survey ship for the US Navy. Construction of the new ship, T-AGS 66, will begin at Halter Moss Point in 1H2010 with delivery scheduled in 2013. VT Halter Marine is the US operation of ST Engineering’s marine arm, ST Marine.

The all-steel vessel is about 107.6 m long, with a beam of 17.68 m, a 5.48 m draught and permanent accommodation for 67 persons. The T-AGS 60 Class design eliminated conventional reduction gears and long propeller shafts to free up space for oceanographic uses. Its dynamic positioning controls thrust direction provides unparalleled ship control and manoeuvrability to permit precise position keeping and track line following. In addition to various enhancements of its equipment and electronics systems, the T-AGS 66 will be fitted with an 18ft x 18ft moonpool for through hull launch and retrieval of scientific research equipment.

Typical missions of the T-AGS 60 Class ships may include: oceanographic sampling and data collection of surface, mid-water and ocean floor parameters; the launching, recovering, and towing of scientific packages both tethered and autonomous including the handling, monitoring, and servicing of remotely operated vehicles; shipboard oceanographic data processing and sample analysis; and precise navigation, track line manoeuvring, and station keeping to support deep ocean and coastal surveys.

T-AGS 60 Class ships are designed and constructed to provide multi-purpose oceanographic capabilities for the Oceanographer of the Navy. Physical, chemical and biological oceanography; multi-discipline environmental investigations; ocean engineering and marine acoustics; marine geology and geophysics; and bathymetric, gravimetric, and magnetometric surveying are performed from T-AGS 60 Class ships using the latest in oceanographic surveying equipment and other instrument packages with the ability to process and analyse the data onboard using the latest computer technology.