GE to Equip Shanghai Salvage Bureau’s New Diving Vessel

GE’s Marine Solutions has been chosen by Shanghai Salvage Bureau (SSB) to provide a suite of marine technologies including power and propulsion equipment, dynamic positioning (DP) and automation and control systems to its newest deep-water dive support vessel (DSV).

Once delivered, the vessel will enable diving operations to be performed at depths of up to 500 meters and salvage work at 6,000 meters.

The DSV is purpose-designed for a range of roles including deep-water salvage operations, deep-water pipelay and construction as well as a saturation diving capability for up to 24 divers in two bells, the company explained.

Huang Yan, project director, SSB said: “We are pleased to work with GE to ensure that the deep-water DSV will be one of the most advanced of its kind in the world.”

The vessel will feature GE’s SeaStream DP system (Class 3). Using multidirectional thrusters and sensors to monitor real-time wind, current and wave conditions and automatically activate the propulsion units to counteract the environmental forces, the technology will enable the ship’s position and orientation to be safely and efficiently controlled.

In addition, the vessel will be powered by an electric power and propulsion system, including GE’s 4,656-kilowatt generators, switchboards and medium-voltage frequency drive propulsion controllers as well as a vessel automation and control system, all configured for optimum power and propulsion performance.

The main propulsion switchboard will be arranged in a closed-ring configuration to get to maximum efficiency and availability, GE explained.