Offshore Marine Technology: 1st Quarter 2020
Island Offshore has added a new deepwater installation vessel to its fleet, in the form of the VARD-built, 123.4m x 25m Island Victory. The newbuild, delivered by VARD’s Brevik facility in February 2020, has already secured contracts to keep her busy until October this year, with zones of operation including the Barents Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
The vessel was built to the specs of Kongsberg Maritime’s UT 797 CX class, and is designed to undertake heavy tow work and subsea equipment installation duties. With the capacity to house up to 110 persons, Island Victory could also fulfil a role as an offshore accommodation unit.
Other potential tasks include maintenance of oil wells, regular anchor handling and offshore wind turbine installation. A recovered oil capacity of 2,500m3 means the vessel can also engage in oil spill response work. VARD says: “She can hold two whole anchor spreads on deck, which few other vessels can match.” Her cargo deck area spans 1,200m2 and she features an 8m x 7.2m moon pool. Her main deck has been strengthened to handle 10tonnes per m2, while the cargo area aft of the moon pool can support 15tonnes per m2. The ship carries two work-class ROVs and integrated launch and recovery systems (LARS), enabling deployment of these vehicles (over the side or via the moon pool) to depths of 4,000m.
VARD reports that Island Victory excelled in bollard pull tests in autumn 2019, demonstrating a traction of 477tonnes – a pleasant surprise for the owner/operator, who hailed the result as “more than we could hope for – the next on the list for similar vessels measured a bollard pull of 423tonnes at delivery”.
The vessel is equipped with a 250tonne-capacity main crane and a Brattvaag towing/anchor-handling winch arrangement. Options for the UT 797 CX class include a 250tonne A-frame at the stern and a helicopter refuelling system.
