Alewijnse In Agile Pipe-Laying Conversion
Alewijnse is playing a major role in the conversion of the 8,250DWT Agile from a construction vessel into a high-tech, pipe-laying vessel. The work is taking place at the Scheldepoort Shipyard in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, and is due for completion by mid-June. After conversion the Agile will sail for Brazil where she will engage in laying flexible pipe and umbilicals at depths of up to two km for Petrobras under a five year contract.
The vessel is owned by McDermott International, a leading engineering, procurement, construction and installation company that specialises in complex offshore oil and gas projects worldwide. Alewijnse is involved in the installation of a number of key installations, including the fitting of an A-frame, a tensioner, thrusters, extra generators, a reel deployment system, the CCTV system, ROVs, and additional generators. In addition, Alewijnse is also carrying out modifications to the power distribution systems, fire detection system, dynamic-positioning system, lighting and general alarm / fire alarm systems. Other work taking place involves the relocation of winches, cranes and lifeboats on Agile’s deck.
Thight Timeline
Ben Bonte, managing director of Alewijnse Marine Rotterdam, said, “The vessel arrived in Vlissingen from Dubai on February 27 and is scheduled to sail for Brazil on June 15, so we are working hard to meet this very tight timeline. This latest order is yet another step in line with our strategy to strengthen our position in the Brazilian market. We have already established a presence in Brazil and this project will help us to reinforce our relationship with Petrobras.”
The order comes in the wake of high customer satisfaction with Alewijnse’s work on previous projects at the Scheldepoort shipyard, of which the conversion of the SCH-54 and refit of the Willem van der Zwan (SCH-302) are typical examples. Scheldepoort, part of the Damen Shipyards Group, has significantly expanded its operations in the offshore industry in recent years. Large projects for Acergy – now Subsea 7 , Helix Well-Ops and Fugro have contributed to Scheldepoort developing a strong reputation in this specialist area, and the new project with McDermott International is the result of the establishment of a good relationship with the client following the successful completion of two smaller projects in the past few years.