Seven Viking Named 2013 ‘Ship of The Year’ at Nor-Shipping

The cutting edge IMR vessel ‘Seven Viking’ of ULSTEIN’s SX148 design earned ‘Ship of the Year 2013.’ Photo credit: Ulstein

Ulstein Group’s next generation, harsh environment IMR vessel, M/V Seven Viking, has taken home Skipsrevyen’s magazine’s prestigious “Ship of The Year” award at the 2013 Nor-Shipping show in Oslo.

The cutting edge vessel was delivered from Ulstein Verft in January and is co-owned by Subsea 7 and Eidesvik. .

“This award is testimony to the result of the collective efforts of Eidesvik, Subsea 7 and ULSTEIN, and a great inspiration to our long-term innovation efforts,” says CEO in Ulstein Group, Gunvor Ulstein.

Tailor-made

“’Seven Viking’ is tailor-made for IMR operations and has unmatched technical and operational capacity within this sector. She operates in a most satisfactory way and our client is very pleased,” comments Subsea 7’s Offshore Manager, Vidar Øvstedal.

The ICE-C class vessel, with a crew capacity of 90 and a top speed of 17 knots, has been working since February for Statoil in the North Sea on a five-year contract. It has been custom-built according to the operator’s specifications to carry out tasks including inspection, maintenance and repair of subsea installations, in addition to scale treatment and RFO (Ready for Operations) work scopes.

‘Seven Viking’ incorporates Ulstein’s patented X-BOW® hull design, reducing motion in transit and giving increased stability in the potentially high waves that characterize the North Sea. The ‘Seven Viking’ is the second X-BOW® to take home the award, following the 2006 M/V Bourbon Orca.

Despite this enviable stability usually associated with size, this version of the SX148 design has been crafted to be compact in stature – measuring only 106.5 metres long and 24.5 metres wide. The dimensions allow the ‘Seven Viking’ to manoeuvre with ease in confined spaces, such as between platforms, accessing difficult to reach areas.

Beyond expectations

“I am really impressed by this vessel. Being on board a brand-new vessel, I had expected some teething problems, but all systems are working smoothly. We’ve hardly had any disruptions in our work whatsoever,” says Captain Jan Tangenes in Eidesvik Offshore. “We are maintaining a service speed of 16 knots in quite rough weather and we’ve had no trouble with that. The comfort for the personnel on board is very good. This is my first X-BOW vessel, and I am very pleased. She’s delivered beyond my expectations so far,” says Tangenes.

Clever configuration

Thanks to a clever configuration whereby hull space is maximised and equipment is integrated within a large hangar area, ‘Seven Viking’ can carry all necessary maintenance equipment on board, ensuring operational downtime is kept to a minimum. Safety, efficiency and environmental considerations have been the prime focus for the three partners when developing the vessel, which carries the Clean Design notation.

A customised module handling system (MHS) has been integrated in the ship’s hangar for the safe launch and retrieval of subsea modules weighing up to 70 tonnes through the moon pool. To facilitate cooperation and communication, all operational personnel are gathered in one area adjacent to the hangar, with panoramic windows in the control room giving a full overview of this key activity area.

Comfortable

‘Seven Viking’ has been developed to meet the highest working environment standards, and is classified as a comfort class COMF-V (3) vessel. Minimal noise levels in the hangar have been achieved by opting for electric winches for the ROVs, the MHS and other utility equipment. In addition, she features a separate accommodation unit, positioned away from all active work areas, to ensure that the crew can rest without any disturbances.

Notable environmental initiatives include diesel electric propulsion, which reduces atmospheric emissions, and the electrical winches, which nullify the risk of emissions of hydraulic oil.