The Netherlands: Boskalis Awards IHC Engineering Business with Carousel Contract

IHC Engineering Business, part of IHC Merwede and leading supplier of innovative, high performance lay systems, has acquired an order from Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. for a 5,000t capacity basket carousel cable lay system. This is the first in a series of major cable and pipelay orders that IHC EB are expecting to secure in the very near future.

“This order was secured following the development of an innovative, bespoke solution applying the engineering knowledge developed in delivering a 7,000t capacity carousel system onto the North Ocean 102 vessel,” explains Managing Director, Neil Baxter. “It is being designed and built specifically for the installation of offshore power cables, and will be installed on a new-build multi-purpose cable laying vessel.”

The new carousel, scheduled for delivery in Q3 of 2012, will feature the IHC EB advanced hydraulic roller suspension system which increases reliability, reduces life-cycle costs and extends the working life of the system. The application of innovative designs to improve operational performance played a major part in securing this contract against stiff competition.

Design work will be undertaken at IHC EB in Stocksfield, Northumberland, UK with the carousel manufactured, assembled and tested at the fabrication facility of sister company IHC China Support in Guangzou, China. The ability to build the carousel within the IHC Merwede group and close to the new vessel yard; ZPMC in Shanghai, was also key.

Innovation is at the heart of IHC EB and in recent months the business has been recognised with two awards. Its work on the 2,500t J-Lay tower, designed and built for Saipem for use on their new-build vessel Saipem FDS2, led to the award of both the Design Team of the Year 2011 by the British Engineering Excellence Awards and the NOF Energy 2011 Innovation and Technology Award.

2012 will be a busy year for IHC EB – as well as delivering pipe and cable lay systems, we are also developing a new trenching system specifically designed for the installation of offshore wind farm power cables. The business is expecting to grow strongly and will be further expanding its team of energetic and innovative engineers across all disciplines.

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Subsea World News Staff , January 31, 2012;  Image: Oceanteam