Norway: Bergen Secures Largest Single OCV Contract

Bergen Group BMV has signed a contract with the ship owner North Sea Shipping AS, a subsidiary of North Sea Shipping Holding AS, for construction of a large and advanced offshore vessel.

The contract value is NOK 1 billion (USD 164.8 Mln), included options for some additional equipment. The contract represents the largest single contract ever for Bergen Group’s shipbuilding division. The ship is scheduled for delivery in Q2 2014, and will be chartered by a major international subsea company.

The shipping company is also granted an option from Bergen Group for construction of a similar vessel planned for delivery in late 2014. The contract is signed, subject to financing.

The contract awarded from North Sea Shipping AS is for the construction of a large and advanced OCV-vessel (Offshore Construction Vessel) with facilities for laying flexi-pipes and cables. The ship has a length of 142 meter, beam of 27 meters and a cabin capacity of 120 people. The ship will feature state of the art equipment that makes it attractive for use in demanding offshore projects, including complex subsea operations.

The advanced offshore vessel is designed by the company Skipsteknisk in Ålesund. The ship is a ST-261 design, developed in close cooperation with the ship owner, end-user and Bergen Group BMV.

The ship is equipped with an advanced DP3 positioning system, and has an offshore crane with a lifting capacity of 400 tons and capacity of construction work down to 3,000 meters of water depth. The ship will also have two advanced ROV systems (remote-controlled underwater robots) that can conduct operations down to 3,000 meters.

The large construction vessel will have a working deck of around 2,000 square meters, which can withstand a load of 15 tons / sqm. The ship has a large carousel below deck, with storage capacity of up to 2,000 tons of cable or flex pipe. In addition, the ship is designed to mount another carousel on the main working deck.

“Expertise in construction and operation of advanced offshore construction vessels is crucial when we negotiate with our clients. North Sea Shipping has specialized in providing the market advanced offshore construction vessels in recent years. With this newbuilding we are taking another step toward becoming a major player in this segment”, says CEO Hallvard Klepsvik North Sea Shipping.

Klepsvik is pointing to the fact that solutions that ensure the capacity and flexibility to meet future requirements for demanding assignments in offshore and subsea market will be used in the construction of the ship.

“The contract with North Sea Shipping represents a new milestone for Bergen Group’s Shipbuilding Division. The contract is the largest this division ever has been awarded, and is in many ways a confirmation that we have succeeded in our strategy to maintain and strengthen our position in the construction of the most advanced offshore vessels to a demanding international market”, says CEO Terje Arnesen in Bergen Group.

CEO Terje Sjumarken at Bergen Group BMV is looking forward to a busy and demanding construction process for the approximately 200 employees at the shipyard in Bergen.

“This will be the ninth offshore vessel Bergen Group BMV has built and delivered since 2007. The contract with North Sea Shipping provides us with an exciting order backlog horizon until the summer of 2014“, says Sjumarken.

The shipyard manager is gratified to be awarded a contract from a customer residing in the same geographical region as the shipyard.

“The contract will have major effect for the region in terms of deliveries and jobs”, says Terje Sjumarken.

“We look forward to delivering an environmentally friendly and future oriented ship to an established shipping company that is known for setting standards of quality. North Sea Shipping is an attractive customer for many yards, both internationally and nationally. We are therefore greatly appreciated of the fact that the nearest neighbor has found Bergen Group competitive and assigned us the responsibility for this exciting NOK billion-project”, says Terje Sjumarken.

The contract with North Sea Shipping will initially generate engineering and planning activities at the shipyard from the coming fall. The hull will be built abroad and then towed to Bergen Group BMV for outfitting and commissioning in the autumn of 2013. North Sea Shipping is a family owned company. The company has since the early 1980s owned and operated advanced and specialized offshore vessels for the oil- and gas industry. North Sea Shipping is headquartered at Bakkasund in Austevoll outside of Bergen.