Seajacks Orders Self-Propelled Jackup Destined for North Sea Work

Seajacks announced today they have placed an order with UAE-based Lamprell for the construction of a new self-propelled jack-up vessel, specifically designed for installation and maintenance services in the offshore wind and oil and gas sectors.

The Engineering, Procurement & Construction contract, which is valued at USD $120.9 million, is for the design, construction and delivery of a Seajacks-modified Gusto MSC NG 2500X self-elevating and self-propelled jackup for offshore oil & gas and offshore wind turbine installation and maintenance operations. The vessel, named ‘Seajacks Hydra’, will be constructed at Lamprell’s Hamriyah facility in the United Arab Emirates and will be delivered in 2014.

The design weight of this class-leading and state of the art jackup vessel exceeds 7,000 tonnes (Te). The vessel is equipped with dynamic positioning, high speed jacking systems, a 400Te crane and a propulsion system that is designed to allow the vessel to sail at a speed of 8 knots. The unit includes accommodation for 100 personnel and has a payload capacity of 1400Te.

Blair Ainslie, CEO of the Seajacks Group, said, “We are delighted to place this order with Lamprell for the construction of the Hydra. She will be Seajacks’ fourth vessel and a similar design to Kraken and Leviathan. Hydra will be an excellent addition to the state-of the-art fleet that we are building here at Seajacks.”

Seajacks Kraken is currently undertaking a two year well intervention and maintenance campaign for Shell UK and NAM in the Southern North Sea, while Seajacks Leviathan continues to perform effectively in the offshore wind sector, having recently completed turbine installation at Sheringham Shoal Wind Farm. Seajacks’ newly constructed third vessel, Zaratan, has now arrived in Europe following it’s voyage from Lamprell in Dubai.

Nigel McCue, Chief Executive Officer, Lamprell commented: “I am delighted that Seajacks are continuing to work with Lamprell, following successful delivery of three vessels to them in the recent past. This reinforces our customer’s confidence in Lamprell’s ability to deliver major construction projects on time and budget.”

Lamprell has built three vessels for Seajacks previously; Kraken, Leviathan and Zaratan, all of which have been operating on oil and gas and wind farm projects in Canada, UK, Holland, and in the near future, Germany.

In March 2012, Marubeni Corporation and the Innovation Network of Japan (INCJ), announced the acquisition of Seajacks from Riverstone Holdings.