GALLERY: DEME launches offshore installation vessel at Cosco shipyard

Marine engineering group DEME has launched its new offshore installation vessel at the Cosco Qidong shipyard in China.

Images by DEME

DEME said that the giant vessel, named Orion, was launched on Wednesday, November 21.

The company described it as a “next generation vessel” with a combination of “high transport and load capacity, impressive lifting heights, and green technology.”

According to the company, the launching event is a major milestone in the construction of the vessel, which is progressing on schedule.

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.

The vessel will have a total installed capacity of 44,180 kW, a Liebherr crane with a lifting capacity of 5,000 tonnes, and will be able to hoist heavy loads at a large radius. The loads can be lifted to a height of more than 170 meters. Also, the deck space and deadweight were maximized to provide a high transport and load capacity.

Orion has dual-fuel engines and can run on liquefied natural gas (LNG). It will have a Green Passport and Clean Design notation.

The vessel will also have a waste heat recovery system that converts heat from the exhaust gases and cooling water to electrical energy while the evaporation of LNG will cool the accommodation section with a cold recovery system.

The 216.5-meter long Orion, ordered in March 2017, is expected to join the fleet at the end of 2019.

Several vessels recently entered the DEME fleet, including the dual-fuel dredgers Minerva and Scheldt River in 2017, the cable installation vessel Living Stone and jack-up platform Apollo in 2018.