FRANCE:

Pipelay, construction vessel for ultra-deep water

The CSO Deep Blue, a new, ultra-deepwater pipelay and subsea construction vessel was delivered to Coflexip Stena Offshore (CSO) by Hyundai Mipo Dockyards after successfully completing sea trials. Next, the vessel will be equipped with its unique, CSO-designed pipelay system, which will allow it to lay rigid pipe (reeled and J-Lay), flexible pipe and umbilicals in waters up to 8,200 ft.

CSO Deep Blue’s first assignment will be installation of export pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico’s Boomvang and Nansen fields.

The vessel’s laying system is designed around a powerful tiltable ramp, which is equipped with two quad-track tensioners capable of sustaining 550 metric tons. The combination of fast installation techniques, large payload and high transit speed promise an optimum solution for deepwater developments.

The CSO Deep Blue is to begin operations this summer after sea trials of the pipelay equipment. Her first assignment will be the installation of export pipeline systems in Boomvang and Nansen fields, which are in 3,600-ft of water in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel will operate from a newly established CSO spoolbase in Mobile, Alabama.