Damen wins Maersk deepwater offshore contract

The dual-fuel (MGO or HFO) DOC 8500, to be constructed at Damen Galati yard in Romania, will be deployed on cable-laying and oil and gas projects, and owned and operated in the North Sea by Maersk Supply Service. The design ship-to-ship rule compliant features accommodation for 90 personnel.

“The DOC 8500 has been developed as a flexible platform for both transport and installation work offshore,” says Remko Bouma, overseer of the DOC’s construction at Damen Shipyards Bergum. “Its bow and slender hull optimise sea keeping in rough seas and suppress slamming. Its high on-deck cable carrying capacity makes it particularly competitive as a cable layer, while the vessel has also been optimised for shallow water operations, coming complete with a seven-point mooring system and the ability to take the ground fully loaded.”

Tony Inglis, DeepOcean UK managing director, said: “This next generation cable lay vessel in combination with our survey and trenching capabilities will enable us to bundle our services for customers in the offshore power cable and umbilical markets. The versatile new vessel will be well suited for installation and burial projects using its 7,000 tonne carousel from land-fall to deepwater and also in remote geographical locations.

“The vessel is designed to meet the high standards demanded by North Sea Oil and Gas customers. We are delighted to be working with Maersk Supply Service and Damen to bring this high capability vessel to the market.”