Naming Ceremony for Havyard`s Newbuild ‘Lewek Inspector’

It is many years since the last naming ceremony at the shipyard in Leirvik. But it is no coincidence that Havyard`s newbuild 114, «Lewek Inspector», was named there last Saturday.

Havyard arranged for an open boat session and naming ceremony, and as many as 450 people of all ages defied bad weather and strong winds in order to view the top modern subsea vessel, delivered to Forland Shipping last Thursday. The outfitting hall was turned into a café with food and drinks for all visitors. Elena Fragoacomo of Italy was godmother, and she had memorized good luck wishes in Norwegian by heart, before she completed the naming ceremony by crushing a bottle of bubbly against the hull.

Honouring the workers

This is the first vessel that Forland Shipping has contracted after the former shipowner Ellen Forland passed away in 2010. Mrs. Forland was a principled lady until her final day. The vessels were to be constructed at Norwegian shipyards; they should accommodate Norwegian equipment and have Norwegian crew onboard. The naming ceremonies were always held at the shipyards because the workers should be honoured as they constructed ships for stormy seas.

For Ellen Marie Forland`s sailors, only the best would do, and the unique care she provided for them turned her into a legend of her era.

Floating art gallery

Mrs. Forland was also very interested in the aesthetics on board the ships and «Lewek Inspector» can almost be described as a floating art gallery. The shipping company appointed a separate decoration committee, and this committee has chosen a strikingly beautiful collection of visual arts from seven chosen artists. “To my knowledge, this is the first offshore vessel in the world decorated with an overall art collection and a separate art magazine,” says committee chairman, Eilert Munch Lund.

Customer focused

The shipping company`s person in charge of the latest newbuild, Alf Rune Jensen, says they have had an incredibly good cooperation with Havyard throughout the entire process. “They are customer focused and looking for solutions in every area. Deliveries have been made according to specifications and on time, so the ship meets all our expectations,” says Jensen. Havyard`s own Project Manager, Jan Helge Solheim, says that Forland Shipping has been a demanding and determined customer. “They have followed the construction process from hull to delivery, and they have had experienced inspectors involved all along. This made us perform to our best level through reasonable demands and top class cooperation,” says Solheim.

Designed for rough conditions

The hull arrived at the shipyard from Turkey in May, and outfitting has been done in record time for such a large vessel, a vessel which in addition is a prototype. Jan Helge Solheim says that the ship is designed for the toughest of jobs in heavy seas, at major depths, and in ice cold conditions. The ship is fitted out with 2 work-ROVs with Active heave compensated winches for work as far down as 3.500 metres subsea, he says. “It has got a high freeboard and as many as 8 propellers, so that it is capable of complete position keeping at DP and doing work even in heavy seas,” Solheim explains. “In addition, the ship is rigged with ice-reinforced hull, heating cables in rescue equipment, on helideck, in stairs and on railings,” says the Project Manager.

Long-term contract with EMAS

«Lewek Inspector» will work for EMAS AMC over the next 5 years and the group has an option for renting the vessel after that.

EMAS was established in Singapore in 1992 and is today a global company for delivering services to the offshore oil industry. The company currently runs a major fleet of modern offshore vessels and operates worldwide. Proof of the company`s success came when EMAS Group was awarded «Shipowner of the Year» and founder K. S. Lee received the «Lifetime Achievement Award» at the Offshore Support Journal conference in London in February this year.

EMAS AMC was established as EMAS acquired Aker Marine Contractors (AMC) in 2011. EMAS AMC offers subsea construction, installations and maintenance throughout the lifespan of an offshore project.

«Lewek Inspector» has during construction been rebuilt to fit EMAS`s specifications.

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Havyard, November 19, 2013