Damen targets decom market with new vessel concept (Gallery)

Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards has made a move in decommissioning market by announcing its latest vessel concept, the Damen Decommissioning Series.

Damen said on Thursday that the design is based on an in-house research carried out at Damen by one of its undergraduate interns.

The new vessels will specialize in three core areas of the oil and gas decommissioning sector: topside decommissioning, offshore platform removal, and subsea cleaning and removal.

A Damen intern, Justin Rietveld, was assigned to investigate the potential niche markets for new vessel designs in the oil and gas decommissioning sector.

Split stern design

Rietveld said: “This research started off with the idea of developing a decommissioning vessel based on Damen’s existing portfolio. However, we soon found out that this market needs more.

“For example, there are many different activities within the decommissioning sector. This vessel can support a vast number of those. We have developed a concept to cover the bigger part of this new and exciting market.”

Rietveld added that the new vessel design with a split stern will be able to reverse up to a jacket, where it will be ballasted to sink below the platform.

“Upon deballasting, the vessel will rise up to pick up the platform,” said Rietveld.

Damen said that primary estimates say that the vessel will be able to perform decommissioning work of platforms up to 1,600 tonnes. That means that the vessel will be able to handle a ‘significant amount’ of global fixed platforms, many in the North Sea.

Furthermore, the company added that the vessel can be modified with modular additions like a crane, helideck, and an accommodation module for increased personnel capacity or a platform for a solid stern. Such a stern can be used for transporting and installing monopiles and foundations for the offshore wind industry, the company said.

Damen Manager of Design & Proposal for Offshore & Transport, Lucas Zaat, said: “We initiated this project because we felt that we can make a difference in this sector – and it has certainly generated some significant ideas. The decommissioning market is close to our current activities. We are therefore planning to continue with this project and assign specialized personnel to implement it.”