China Merchants Heavy Industry started building OOS International’s new semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV) OOS Walcheren on 24 May at its Jiangsu yard, while the first of the two ordered SSCVs, OOS Serooskerke, is already under construction in Haimen and due for delivery in mid-2019.
The OOS Walcheren will be delivered in 1Q 2020 and, according to the vessel owner, this will provide sufficient time to capture the lessons learnt and enhancements needed from the sister vessel OOS Serooskerke.
OOS International ordered the two vessels in August 2016 , announcing they would be used for offshore wind installation and decommissioning , among other things. The vessels feature two heavy lift Huisman cranes with a combined lift capacity of 4,400t with subsea lifting and active compensation capability, and an enhanced dynamic positioning class 3 system (DP3) from Kongsberg.
The company said the SSCVs could also be used for offshore accommodation and can house up to 750 people.
Upon ordering the two vessels almost two years ago, Léon Overdulve, the founder and owner of Overdulve Offshore Services (OOS) International, said that the company had taken a quantum leap within the oil & gas and offshore wind industries.
Overdulve’s statement could be viewed as reaffirmed in November 2017, when OOS International’s affiliate company OOS Energy unveiled a new vessel design that is also dedicated to operations in the offshore wind and oil & gas sectors, and said it was in talk over building two multi-activity units (MAUs) with the first one planned to hit the market in 2020.