Construction Semi-submersibles
We have long been involved in the design and construction of large construction semi-submersibles; the first example being the Viking Piper in 1975. During the offshore platform construction boom, we designed the Hermod and Balder, the DB101 and the Saipem 7000 in the late 1970’s.
The large offshore cranes on these units were designed by GustoMSC and licensed for construction.
Today, the Hermod has a 5,000 ton and 4,000 ton crane, the Balder a 3,000 ton and a 4,000 ton crane and the DB101 a 3,500 ton crane. A typical niche market, no additional units were built during the next decades.
Another niche market is the Inspection, Repair and Maintenance market, for which we designed the SEMI 1 and SEMI 2. Built in 1989, these units are operating in the Mexican side of the Gulf of Mexico. The units are really compact semi-submersibles, with an operating displacement of just over 10,000 tons, but with full DP2/3 capacity, accommodation and a 250 ton main crane.
In the recent time, pure accommodation support is a growing market. For this market we have two units available:
- We designed the DSS20-NS-DP3 accommodation semi-submersible for operations in Norwegian waters with a Norwegian Standard 440 accommodation block; the Floatel Superior, built by KeppelFels yard, is presently operating in Norwegian waters. The unit can be moored or operate in a DP3 mode. A second unit is under construction.
- The OCEAN500 accommodation semi-submersible is capable of accommodating 450 POB in the NORSOK version or 750 POB for worldwide (non-NORSOK). The first unit is under construction at the COSCO (Nantong) yard for Cotemar.
