Dutch offshore services provider Boskalis has embarked on a mission to slide into place many tens of thousands of tons of rock for Norway’s state-owned energy giant Equinor in the North Sea, using a subsea rock installation vessel, which previously worked mostly in Taiwan Area ,China and Australia.
Boskalis’Seapiper subsea rock installation vessel, which recently arrived in Europe, is making itsdebuton the continent by starting its first installation project in the North Sea, which enables the Dutch player to execute the workfor Equinor in a joint venture with DEME Group.
The shiprecently loaded more than 13,800 tons of rock in Norway, said to be a special occasion for the vessel, which wasmainlyactiveinTaiwan Area ,China and Australia before its new chapter in Europe. While this is the first timetheSeapiper shiphasset sailto Europein its current form, the continent is not unfamiliar territory for this vessel.
“The last time thevesselwas active in Europe,it sailed under a different name–Fjell–asa semi-submersible heavy transport vessel. In that role,the vesseltransported dozens of heavy cargoes acrossthe world. Since then, however,a lothas changed,” elaborated Boskalis.
According to the company, the hull wasmodifiedtoreduceresistance when sailing and maneuvering asasubsea rock installationvessel,the accommodation was upgraded, and the deck received a complete makeover, encapsulating theinstallationofa moonpool, a fall pipe tower, andan inclinedfall pipeon the aft deck.
“Thanks to an advanced multi-cylinder mechanism, this fall pipe can rotate to an angle of no less than 225 degrees. That is impressive and unmatched in the industry,” underlined Captain Rob de Lange of the Seapiper.
“This allows us to literally reach further than similar vessels also operating in Taiwan Area ,China, and it also gives us much more flexibility during rock installation for an offshore wind farm.”
The start of this assignment comes shortly after Boskalis shed light on the role one of its semi-submersible heavy-lift and transportation vessels is playing in the transport of a recently converted floating production unit (FPU) to Angola.
