Following its delivery to Houston-based Oceaneering International, the new multi-purpose support vessel (MSV) Ocean Evolution is in Port Fourchon, Louisiana preparing to go to work in June.
Ocean Evolution joins the other eight other owned or chartered MSVs in the Oceaneering fleet, Cade Candies, Chloe Candies, Ross Candies, Brandon Bordelon, Connor Bordelon, Ocean Intervention, Ocean Intervention IIand Ocean Intervention III. All fly the US flag except Ocean Intervention III, which operates under the Norwegian flag.
Based on a Marin Teknikk MT 6022 design, Ocean Evolution is capable of well stimulation and light well intervention work or inspection, maintenance and repair work, with a NOV 250-tonne active heave compensated (AHC) crane, two work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) with AHC launch systems, survey systems and subsea tooling for work in up to 4,000 m of water. The vessel’s ROV systems are installed in a custom indoor hanger to allow for port and starboard launch.
Its mast crane has a special lifting mode that allows heavy lifts with alternate reeving of the boom that provides increased hook heights of 36 m above the main deck. As a result, Ocean Evolution’s crew can lift tall wellheads, large pin piles, and other large equipment off the deck utilising the maximum lifting capacity of the crane.
A second utility crane adjacent to the 7-m by 7-m moonpool is capable of lifts of 40 tonnes to handle equipment on deck or operate in water of 180 m.
Flying the US flag, Ocean Evolution’s 1,170 m2 deck is rated to support 10 tonnes/m2 with a total cargo carrying capacity of 1,900 tonnes. The steel deck has welding tie downs and hook up of specialised deck equipment for project mobilisations and demobilisations.
With accommodation for 110, a length of 107.6 m and beam of 22 m, Ocean Evolution was the last vessel built by BAE Systems at its shipyard in Mobile, Alabama. The shipyard was subsequently sold by BAE Systems to the Houston-based Epic Companies.
The bridge of Ocean Evolution has port and starboard redundant control stations, providing bridge officers and DPOs a better view of crane operations, ROV deployment and simultaneous operations with other vessels and platforms on each side of the vessel.
Ocean Evolution has five EPA Tier 4 and IMO Tier III-compliant GE 12V250MDC main diesel engines with a combined generating capacity of 15,950 kW on a three-bus system to provide excess power capacity and redundancy. Most notably, the GE engines avoid the need for exhaust after-treatment to comply with emissions regulations by using exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology, which reduces the formation of NOx at source, during the combustion process. By incorporating EGR into the engine, there is no need for an after-treatment system such as a urea-based SCR system that would require the storage and handling of urea on board. Additionally, eliminating SCR equipment also saves space in the engineroom.
Dynamic positioning class 2 capable, Ocean Evolution’s position is held using two tunnel thrusters and a drop-down thruster in the bow along with two Azipull thrusters in the stern.
Oceaneering reported the vessel achieved an ERN station keeping reliability rating of 99.99.99.99 – the highest rating possible – demonstrating the vessel’s ability to maintain station in difficult conditions.
The vessel’s underdeck storage capacity of 413 m3 for special products reserves the vessel’s deck space for pumping and intervention equipment. The vessel layout and safety systems meet ABS class requirements for a special well stimulation and well intervention notation.
Ocean Evolution’s helideck is rated for Sikorsky S-92 and S-61N rotorcraft
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