Royal IHC has reached a milestone in the completion of the reel-lay vessel Seven Vega for Subsea 7. The twin tensioner pipelay ramp was installed onto the vessel. The whole operation was caught on camera.
When the vessel was launched in May 2019, Stuart Fitzgerald, Executive Vice President Strategy and Commercial Subsea 7 said the vessel ‘has been designed to deliver flowline technologies that address the growing market trend towards longer and more complex tie-back developments. The vessel’s cutting-edge pipelay system will be capable of installing complex rigid flowlines, including pipe-in-pipe systems and electrically heat traced flowlines, in water depths up to 3000 metres.’
Reel-lay system
Several innovative features make the Seven Vega one of the most technologically advanced vessels to date. The design of the reel-lay system was focused on crew safety, operational efficiency and flexibility. The reel-lay system has a 600-tonne top tension capacity consisting of a 32-metre main reel and a 17-metre auxiliary reel with a maximum storage capacity of 5600 tonnes and 1600 tonnes respectively.
The twin tensioner pipelay ramp tilts to allow pipeline installation from shallow waters to depths of up to 3000 metres. 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.
Watch the installation of the pipeclay ramp in the video below.
Picture: Launch of the Seven Vega at IHC’s shipyard in Krimpen aan den IJssel in May 2019 (by Royal IHC).
