Caesar Pipelay Vessel Joins Helix ESG Fleet

Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. new deepwater pipelay vessel, Caesar, departed the shipyard in China on November 28, and is transiting to the Gulf of Mexico where she will join the company’s subsea construction fleet.
Caesar is a dynamically positioned (DP2) pipelay vessel capable of laying large diameter concrete coated pipelines in shallow water, and up to 24-inch diameter pipelines in deep waters. Caesar’s onboard pipeline manufacturing capability facilitates pipelay operations without dedicated onshore infrastructure, making her a cost-effective option in remote areas versus reeled pipelay vessels. In addition, her 300 metric ton crane and 450 metric ton A-frame are well suited for deepwater installation of inline manifolds and terminals.

“The S-lay Caesar will increase the options available to operators who are planning major deepwater subsea construction projects,” said Helix ESG’s Chief Operating Officer Bart Heijermans. “We are very pleased with the performance of the vessel and believe she will be an attractive choice for our customers because of her unique capabilities and competitive cost structure.” Caesar is due to complete transit in January 2010, joining the Intrepid and Express reeled pipelay vessels in Helix’s fleet.

The 480 foot long S-lay pipeline installation vessel Caesar is a world-class platform for installing various diameter pipelines in shallow and deepwater. The versatile vessel offers a range of depth configurations with a variable-radius stinger (70 to 300 meters) and adjustable length (70 and 100 meters). The Caesar can lay pipe from 6-inch to 42-inch OD. With its 400-ton tension capacity, the vessel can install pipe in water depths in excess of 6,500 feet, and install large diameter trunk lines in shallow water. With transit speeds of about 14 knots, the Caesar is readily available for service around the world.

Lets take a look at the specs:

General

Name: Caesar (ex-Baron)

Builder: Hyundai Mipo Shipyard, South Korea

Type: Offshore Installation/Pipe Lay

Flag: Vanuatu

IMO Number: 9241712

Classification: LR 1A1 LMC UMS DP(AA)

LOA: 146.5m

Beam: 30.0m

Max Draft: 9.0m (12.2m with thrusters down)

Gross Tonnage: 9000

Net Tonnage: 4245

Propulsion

Main Engines: 4xMAN 8L32/40. 3485 kW each

Aux Engines: 3 x 1500kW each

Main Propellers: 2 x 4.5kW azimuth thrusters

Bow Thrusters: 2 x 2000 kW retractable azimuths + 1 x 1320kW tunnel

Accomodations

10 x single cabins

105 x double cabins

Cranes & Lifting Equipment

Main Crane: 300T @ 15-16m

Pipe Transfer Crane: 25T @ 30m

Shipboard Cranes: 20T @ 25m knuckle boom, 10T @ 25m knuckle boom, 2 x 25t @ 8.5m stores cranes

Bead Stall Crane: 25T overhead crane

Navigation Equipment

Gyro, Auto pilot, Echo sounder, DGPS, Satnav, X & S band radars, VHF Navigation, Integrated bridge, Direction finder, ECDIS

Helix Energy Solutions, headquartered in Houston, Texas, is an international offshore energy company that provides development solutions and other key life of field services to the open energy market as well as to our own oil and gas business unit. That business unit is a prospect generation, exploration, development and production company. Employing our own key services and methodologies, we seek to lower finding and development costs, relative to industry norms.

The commissioning and deployment of this vessel offersoperators significant advantages in terms of pipelay efficiencyand cost-effectiveness. In areas like Africa, the demands ofdeepwater exploitation can overwhelm available resources(such as the absence of or distance from a pipeline spool base).Caesar will provide easier access to remote or incompletelydeveloped areas, increased deployment efficiencies, andfaster pipelaying. To Helix, that means customers can take onmore opportunities