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Kongsberg showcases new platform supply and anchor handler ship designs

Norway’s Kongsberg Maritime has unveiled a new range of anchor handler (AHT) and platform supply vessel (PSV) designs that come with a range of innovations to help shipowners address current and future challenges around efficiency, emissions reduction and developing market requirements.

The AHT and PSV designs have received approval in principle from class society DNV to operate with ammonia-fuelled engines and they can incorporate an offshore charging capable plug-in hybrid option to enable emission-free battery-powered operation.

The anchor handler range, known as UT 7800, will eventually include four sizes, ranging from small to extra-large, with bollard pulls of 180 tons for the small version, increasing to over 400 tons for the largest version of the ship. The UT 7800 has been designed for initial operation in the traditional oil and gas anchor handling market, but it is very adaptable for future offshore energy developments, such as floating wind.

Martijn de Jongh, chief designer for specialised vessels at Kongsberg Maritime, said: “One of the great innovations the anchor handler design offers is significantly reduced energy consumption during anchor operations. This is achieved through the use of Kongsberg’s cross-tensioning system where the load testing of anchors will use the power of the winches rather than the traditional approach of one or more vessels using bollard pull and engine power. This approach will lead to significant operational cost savings, enabling this crucial offshore task to be handled by a single ship.”

Kongsberg offers a choice of winch configurations and capacities, as well as adaptable chain and rope handling and storage capacity. ROVs and cranes can also be integrated into the designs. For the largest vessels, the deck equipment and arrangement has been optimised for the larger dimensions and weights of the rope, chain and equipment than is typical within oil and gas, enabling operations outside these traditional markets.

Today, there are hundreds of Kongsberg-designed PSVs in operation around the world. The new design range called UT 7400 is said to have all the necessary features to address the latest regulations for the transport of liquid products and the growing requirement for lower emissions and environmental footprint, including energy consumption reduction, and readiness for future fuel transition.

The designs come with a number of options for the type of cargo, cargo volume and cargo deck area, which can be configured depending on the operational profile of the vessel, Kongsberg said, adding that the cargo area has been re-designed to provide options for the various products compliant with the latest OSV Chemical Code regulations.

Einar Vegsund, director of ship design solutions at Kongsberg Maritime, said: “These latest designs combine decades of experience and the latest innovative Kongsberg technologies to offer customers next-generation ships that are equipped for the future.

“Our ship designs continue to evolve, and changes to regulations and uncertainty around preferred fuels have driven the demand to create ships that are ready for the future and give owners the confidence to invest, knowing their ships can adapt to meet future requirements,” he added.

Adis Ajdin

Adis is an experienced news reporter with a background in finance, media and education. He has written across the spectrum of offshore energy and ocean industries for many years and is a member of International Federation of Journalists. Previously he had written for Navingo media group titles including Offshore Energy, Subsea World News and Marine Energy.
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