Rolls-Royce to Design and Power High Tech Subsea Construction Vessel
25 April 2012
Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has been selected by Island Offshore to design, power and equip an advanced subsea construction vessel.
The versatile UT 737 CD vessel will support the most demanding subsea projects, including constructing and servicing oil and gas wells on the sea bed, up to 3,000 metres below sea level.
In order to support such challenging missions the vessel will include special features, including two independent systems for launching and recovering Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), a 125 tonne offshore crane that compensates for wave movements and an advanced offshore tower which handles subsea equipment through a large opening in the hull of the vessel, called a moon pool.
Anders Almestad, Rolls-Royce, President - Offshore said: "This high tech vessel will showcase a combination of innovative technology and world-class, energy efficient design. It demonstrates our position as the market leader in high specification offshore vessels and our ability to meet the challenges of the demanding deepwater oil and gas industry."
The design and fit out of the vessel enables it to perform almost any duty in a deepwater oil field. In addition to supporting subsea operations it can transport cargo to and from offshore oil and gas platforms and act as a rescue and oil spill response vessel.
The vessel will also include a diesel electric propulsion system incorporating four Bergen engines. These will drive two Azipull thrusters and two side thrusters, which will work in unison with a dynamic positioning system to enable the vessel to maintain position when undertaking subsea activities. A diesel electric propulsion system will significantly improve fuel efficiency and lower the vessel's emissions.
The Rolls-Royce designed UT 737 CD will be built at STX
OSV's shipyard in Brevik, Norway and is scheduled for
delivery in early 2014.
- Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
- As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in more than 80 countries.
- Annual underlying revenues were £11.3 billion in 2011, of which more than half came from the provision of services. The firm and announced order book stood at £62.2 billion at 31 December 2011, providing visibility of future levels of activity.
- Rolls-Royce employs over 40,000 people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 11,000 of these employees are engineers.
- In 2011, Rolls-Royce invested £908 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions.
- Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which connect the company's engineers with the forefront of scientific research.
- The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.
