On Saturday July 26, 2014, a ceremony was held in Norway to officially name the latest new subsea construction vessel to join the Technip fleet, the North Sea Atlantic.
Over 200 guests from ship owner North Sea Shipping, ship charterer Technip and supply chain partners, gathered to attend the ceremony held at the NorYards shipyard (previously Bergen Group) in Laksevåg, Bergen, Norway. The event was hosted by North Sea Shipping CEO, Hallvard Klepsvik, and his wife, Sigrid Anne Våge, acted as the vessel godmother.
Technip announced in 2012 that it had signed a long-term charter agreement with North Sea Shipping for an advanced new-build construction vessel. During the two-year construction period, teams from the two companies worked together closely to ensure the project was delivered to expectations. Designed to Technip’s specifications, this multi-purpose vessel is capable of undertaking pipelay, subsea construction and IRM projects.
The vessel’s design meets the highest requirements for subsea work and although it will work predominantly in the North Sea, it is also suitable for deep-water operations worldwide. This advanced DP class 3 vessel is equipped with a 550 Te active heave-compensated crane and a 2,000 Te underdeck carousel for product storage. It can accommodate an openable vertical lay system for pipelay of flexibles and umbilicals.
Following final commissioning and trials, North Sea Atlantic is scheduled to commence its first projects working in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea from August 2014, followed by projects in the UK North Sea.
Hallvard Klepsvik, CEO of North Sea Shipping, said: “We are confident that this state-of-the-art vessel will fulfil the expectations of Technip and that it will be a valuable asset for their future operations. We thank Technip for the good collaboration during the build phase and look forward to continuing this during operation of the vessel.”
