ABS, the leading offshore and maritime classification society, has been selected by Edison Chouest Offshore and Island Offshore through the company Island Ventures II LLC to class two next-generation offshore construction vessels (OCVs).
 
The ULSTEIN SX165 design vessels, ordered through Island Ventures II LLC, will be built at Ulstein Verft in Norway and Edison Chouest's LaShip yard in Houma, Louisiana, in the US. 
 
The OCVs will be 28 m wide and 145.7 m long with accommodations for 200 people. They will be equipped with one 400-metric-ton crane and one 140-metric-ton crane, a large moonpool measuring 11.2 x 12 m, and two smaller moonpools with remotely operated vehicle installed in a centrally located hangar. The vessel has three separate engine rooms to provide extreme operational reliability. 
 
Health, safety and the environment have been fully considered in the development of this design. The vessels design provides for crew comfort and safety in accordance with international regulation ILO Maritime Labour Convention and features four lifeboats, two on each side. In addition, the vessels are equipped with SCR catalyst systems for NOx emission reduction.
 
According to Ulstein Verft, this will be the largest vessel to date to be built at the yard and is the company's largest single shipbuilding contract. "Ulstein Verft is pleased to work with ABS for this exiting project, and we are looking forward to expanding our cooperation into new markets for these types of vessels," says Managing Director of Ulstein Verft, Kristian Sætre.
 
The vessel is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2015.
 
"We look forward to adding these vessels to our fleet," says Edison Chouest Offshore CEO Gary Chouest. "The cooperation between our companies is excellent, and we look forward to working with Ulstein on the construction of these multifunctional vessels."