Baku Shipyard secures major contract for build of new vessel

Baku Shipyard LLC has recently secured a $378 million contract from BP Exploration Ltd. The contract will involve the design and build of a new Subsea Construction Vessel (SCV) for the ocean freight company.

Following completion of the new vessel, the SCV will be positioned for Stage 2 of the development, which lies approximately 70 kilometres offshore, located in the Azerbaijan area of the Caspian Sea. The second stage of the project will see the structures take places over a time period of 10 years, between 2017 and 2027.

The newly designed vessel will incorporate dynamic positioning to enable work during wave height of up to 2.5 metres, a 750 metric tonne crane to allow subsea operations to be carried out 600 metres deep and an 18 men two-bell diving system. Other features that are to be implemented will include a strengthened moon pool, two engine rooms and a deadweight of 5,000 metric tonnes.

With completion expected by April 2017, the new SCV will be designed by Marine Technology Development, with the ship’s design and actual development being carried out by Keppel Offshore & Marine.

This will be Baku Shipyard’s first key contract to be secured since its initiation by the President of Azerbaijan in September of last year.