CIMC Raffles has been selected to build the vessel, and will do so at CIMC Raffles Haiyang Construction Base in Shandong province, China.

Solstad Offshore chief executive Lars Peder Solstad said, “This is an important milestone for us and for our partnership with SBM Offshore.

“We are pleased to have the shipbuilding contract in place and to start our collaboration with CIMC Raffles on the construction of this next-generation vessel.”

As highlighted by OSJ in early June, Solstad Offshore and SBM Offshore recently agreed to order a newbuild multipurpose deepwater installation and construction vessel, with delivery targeted for the first half of 2029.

The vessel, designed by Salt Ship Design in Norway, will be owned by a newly established joint venture, in which Solstad Offshore will hold a 50.1% ownership interest and SBM Offshore 49.9%. Solstad will act as ship manager.

The vessel will support the installation of ocean infrastructure, including floating production, storage and offloading platforms, the market for which is growing, especially in regions such as Brazil.

The project builds on more than two decades of successful cooperation since 2006, including the jointly owned and operated construction support vessel Normand Installer, a frame agreement for which has also been extended to give SBM Offshore access to the vessel until 2034.

SBM Offshore said the new vessel will have an optimized design to install ocean infrastructure in shallow and deepwater and will enable the company to maintain a full lifecycle engineering, procurement, construction, installation and operations offering.

The joint venture has entered into an initial 14-year charter agreement with SBM Offshore, securing a minimum utilization of 270 days per year, with options for SBM Offshore to extend the charter period within each year, and up to 11 additional years. When the vessel is not utilized for SBM Offshore, the joint venture may charter the vessel to third parties.

The newbuild will be 132.6 m in length with a beam of 32 m and have accommodation for 100 people. With a deadweight of approximately 11,200 tonnes, it will have installed power of 26,900 kW, a bollard pull of a minimum of 300 tonnes, and will be fitted with a 400-tonne capacity main crane and 350-tonne A-frame.

The new vessel will also have an under-deck carousel of more than 2,000 tonnes, a 500-tonne winch and hangars for two work-class remotely operated vehicles.