Subsea 7's newbuild reel lay vessel Seven Vega has been transported from Royal IHC's shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel to Rotterdam Heijplaat through the beautiful scenery of Rotterdam.
Launched in May 2019, Seven Vega is a high-specification vessel capable of installing complex rigid flowlines including pipe-in-pipe systems.
Seven Vega has an overall length of 149 meters, a breadth of 33 meters and a Class 3 dynamic positioning system. Its reel lay system has a 600-metric-ton top tension capacity consisting of a 32-meter main reel and a 17-meter auxiliary reel with a maximum storage capacity of 5,600 metric tons and 1,600 metiric respectively. The vessel is fitted with cranes offering a lifting capacity of 250 metric tons and 50 metric tons, and mutiple smaller cranes alongside two side-launching work-class remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) systems.
Seven Vega's compact dimensions are a result of the creative positioning of its three engine rooms and main reel, efficient use of the superstructure, and low air draft pipelay tower. The smart use of space opens up a large aft working deck, while the optimised mass distribution minimises the ballast water requirement.
The design of the reel lay system was focused on crew safety, operational efficiency and flexibility. The twin tensioner pipelay ramp tilts to allow pipeline installation from shallow waters to depths of up to 3,000 meters. The large multi-level workstation optimises the efficiency of operations in and around the firing line, while the creative positioning of the main and auxiliary reels – recessed into the main deck – offers payload flexibility.
In addition, the all-electric main crane allows lift parameters to be adjusted promptly without having to manually adapt the active heave system. By having fewer components, maintenance and energy consumption are also reduced.
The reel lay vessel is the ninth vessel IHC will deliver to Subsea 7. The delivery represents a fully integrated pipelay vessel equipped with a pipelay system designed, engineered and built by IHC.