DEME launches LNG-fueled offshore installation vessel

Belgian dredging specialist DEME launched its LNG-fueled offshore installation vessel Orion at the COSCO Qidong shipyard in China.

Orion’ will be deployed for the construction of the largest offshore wind farms, to service the oil and gas industry and for the decommissioning of offshore installations, DEME said in a statement on Wednesday.

With a total installed capacity of 44,180 kW, Orion will be equipped with a Liebherr crane with a lifting capacity of 5,000 tons and can hoist heavy loads at an exceptional radius.

The vessel has duel fuel engines and can run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), and will have a Green Passport and Clean Design notation.

DEME added that a number of dual-fuel vessels entered its fleet recently, including the LNG-powered dredgers Minerva and Scheldt River in 2017, the cable installation vessel Living Stone and DP2 jack-up platform Apollo in 2018.