June 29 - Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M), through its wholly owned subsidiary, Keppel Shipyard Ltd (Keppel Shipyard), has won a contract from Royal Boskalis Westminster (Boskalis), for the conversion of the latter's semi-submersible heavy lift
After the upgrade, the vessel (to be called Bokalift 1) will be equipped with a crane of 3,000 tonnes lift capacity, dynamic positioning (DP2) capabilities, as well as accommodation for up to 150 people.
The vessel, which is already berthed at Keppel Shipyard, will also be capable of transporting and installing offshore wind turbine foundations upon its completion in the latter part of 2017.
According to the Boskalis website, the available deck space of 165 m x 43 m on the converted vessel can be used to install jackets and monopiles for offshore wind turbines, the decommissioning of obsolete oil and gas platforms as well as the transport and installation of newbuild oil and gas production platforms.
A sister vessel, believed to be the Forte, is also scheduled for conversion into a similar crane vessel.
An artist's impression of the Bokalift 1.
