Norwegian shipbuilder and ship designer Vard Holdings Limited has secured a contract for the design and construction of two additional module carrier vessels for Topaz Energy and Marine.
The vessels, of VARD 9 21 design and measuring 123 by 16.5 meters, are sister ships of a series of 15 identical module carrier vessels previously contracted by Topaz for delivery from Vard’s shipyards in Tulcea and Braila in Romania, and Vung Tau in Vietnam. They will be operated by Topaz through a consortium led by Blue Water Shipping.
One of the additional vessels will be built at Vard Braila and one at Vard Vung Tau. Delivery of both vessels is scheduled in 2Q 2018.
The aggregate contract price for the two additional module carriers is close to USD 40 million, bringing the contract price for all of the 17 vessels to USD 340 million.
The module carriers are designed to transport high deck loads of up to 1,800 tons while navigating the shallow river systems as they transport modules through the Russian waterways to oilfields in Kazakhstan.
Topaz Energy and Marine operates a fleet of 100 offshore support vessels and is primarily focused on the Caspian, Middle East, West Africa and Subsea operations in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico.