May 21 - Norway-based ship design, shipbuilding and system solutions provider Ulstein Group has introduced the HX103 and HX104 offshore heavy lift vessel designs.
The two DP3 vessels have heavy lift capabilities and a large outreach, combined with a large open deck space and accommodation for 350 to 500 people.
Combined with the recent downturn in oil prices and related cost reductions, the traditional low capex heavy lift units are not the most efficient assets for worldwide operations, explained Ulstein.
With the new HX heavy lift vessel designs, Ulstein says it has combined good DP (dynamic positioning) capabilities with relatively small installed power and smart DP lay-out, reducing the vessels' overall environmental footprint.
Ulstein claims that these vessel designs offer an attractive alternative for the maintenance markets in areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil and West Africa.
The HX103 design includes a main 1,000-tonne capacity crane at a 26 m outreach and a 320-tonne capacity crane at 68 m, as well as a deck crane with a capacity of 50 tonnes. The HX104 design has a heavy lift capability of 2,000 tonnes at a radius of 30 m and 685 tonnes at a 74 m outreach.
