April saw McDermott International hold a naming ceremony for its derrick/lay vessel (DLV) DLV 2000 at a ceremony at Keppel Singmarine Shipyard in Singapore, and a matter of a couple of months later, the vessel was introduced into service.

McDermott

DLV 2000 is a class 3 dynamic positioning vessel combining a 2,200-tonne revolving crane with a deepwater underdeck S-lay pipelay system configured to install pipelines with diameters ranging from 4.5in to 60in in water depths up to 10,000ft (3,050m). The vessel can accommodate up to 400 personnel to facilitate large hook-up and commissioning projects, has a fast transit speed and incorporates a large, 4,000m2 open deck to allow the transportation and assembly of large subsea structures, enabling safe and efficient stand-alone operations in remote areas.

DLV 2000’s combination of S-lay capability, heavy lift, large deck space and accommodation coupled with efficient transit speed provides McDermott with a versatile asset that can effectively execute projects in all major oil and gas basins around the globe. The company summarises the vessel’s capabilities as the combination of heavy lift and pipelay capability, with a 2,200-tonne revolving crane, multiple cranes for construction, pipeline and deepwater installation, deepwater S-lay capability, pipelay operations in single or double joint configuration and a DP3 dynamic positioning system. The vessel was also designed and constructed to accommodate a deepwater, 500-tonne flexlay system that can be installed at a future date in response to specific market needs.

“Fast, powerful and versatile, DLV 2000 gives us the ability to undertake projects that will expand our portfolio of target markets,” said David Dickson, McDermott’s president and chief executive. “As the new flagship of our fleet, this will allow McDermott to utilise one vessel on projects requiring a combination of pipelay, heavy lift and offshore workforce accommodation that would normally have to be executed by multiple vessels. We also expect DLV 2000 to provide McDermott with a key asset for field development in remote locations through the combination of these versatile construction capabilities and fast transit speed.” Recent months saw McDermott International confirm that the new derrick/lay vessel would start work on the INPEX Ichthys liquefied natural gas project offshore Western Australia, a project that it is now several months into.

With a length overall of 184m, DLV 2000 has a beam of 38.6m and minimum and maximum operating draught of 5.5m and 7.7m, respectively. Its pipelay equipment includes three 150-tonne main tensioners, a 500/250-tonne abandonment and recovery (A&R) winch, 12 single workstations, six pre-fabricated double-joint workstations and a 100m-long stinger. As highlighted above, this will enable the vessel to handle pipes with a minimum outer diameter 4.5in and a maximum outer diameter of 60in.

The main crane is a 2,000-tonne NOV unit with an AmClyde crane on the stern. Secondary cranes include a 250-tonne knuckleboom crane with active heave compensation on the starboard side, a unit rated for operation to 3,000m water depth. There is also a 100-tonne safe working load fixed boom deck crane. The A&R wire can also be used for lowering loads and has a capacity of 425 tonnes at the surface. The vessel will offer accommodation for 341 people in two-person cabins and can house a maximum of 401 in four-person cabins. A medical facility with three beds is also available on the vessel.

DLV 2000 has six 5.5 megawatt (MW) generators providing total power of 33MW complemented by a 1.5MW Cummins emergency generator. The propulsors take the form of two propellers, each producing 5,500kW. DLV 2000 also has a total of six drop-down thrusters, each of 2,000kW, and two tunnel thrusters, each of 1,250kW. The machinery, propellers and thrusters are controlled by a power management system from Kongsberg. The new derrick/lay vessel has a maximum transit speed of 13.5 knots.