An official keel laying ceremony for GeoSea’s vessel Orion was held today, marking the start of the construction of the next-generation offshore installation vessel that will feature a 5,000-tonne crane.
GeoSea’s mother company DEME placed an order for the 216.5m DP3 vessel with China’s COSCO shipyard at the beginning of 2016. The Orion will be able to lift the loads to a height of more than 170m. Deck space has been maximised to provide high transport and load capacity, and the vessel will be capable of accommodating a crew of up to 131 people.
According to DEME, Orion will be able to take the heaviest monopiles, jackets, wind turbine components and structures in a single shipment, and install the next generation of giant multi-megawatt wind turbines.
The delivery of the vessel is scheduled to take place in 2019.