DOF, Vard and Ulstein were all awarded prestigious prizes during Nor-Shipping.
Ulstein’s X-STERN design took the Nor-Shipping «Next Generation Ship Award», honoring the most promising design for ships that will be at sea in the coming decade. Ulstein’s new stern design reduces acceleration, pitch and heave, improves comfort and safety, and widens the operational window.
X-STERN has already been commissioned for an SX175 offshore wind service vessel to be built at Ulstein Verft in Norway for German owners Bernhard Schulte/WINDEA Offshore. X-STERN’s sharp shape allows a vessel to stay positioned with its stern facing towards the weather, even in harsh conditions.
It was HM King Harald V of Norway who, on June 2, 2015, presented the winners with this year’s trophy, a striking new design from renowned Norwegian glassmakers Hadeland Glassverk, weighing six kilograms.
On the same day, the Offshore Subsea Construction Vessel (OSCV) Skandi Africa (in the photo), delivered from Vard Søviknes to our subsidiary DOF Subsea, was named «Ship of the Year 2015» in Norway.
The award was presented by Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Mrs. Monica Mæland, at the maritime exhibition Nor-Shipping to representatives of DOF Subsea as ship owner and VARD as designer and builder.
Skandi Africa is the latest purpose built state-of-the-art vessel to join the DOF fleet. It is specially designed and equipped for subsea operation duties with a high focus on sea-keeping capabilities, excellent station keeping performance and low fuel consumption. The DP class 3 vessel is designed for harsh environments, and for deep water subsea construction and flexlay operations up to 3,000 m in depth. The ship’s top-side features a 900 metric ton (mt) pedestal mounted crane with subsea lowering system and combined active and passive heave compensation system. In addition, there is a 650 mt tilt-able lay system for flexible pipes, and pipe storage equipment with a 3,500 mt basket. The ROV hangar is equipped with two heavy duty work ROVs launched through moonpools up to 4,000 m water depth. The moonpools have damping zones, according to Vard Design’s sea-keeping capabilities R&D program.
Given Skandi Africa’s impressive capacities, the jury believes that the “Ship of the Year” for 2015 is setting new records within her field of work.
Source: DOF and Nor-Shipping website
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