World Diamond is the first of a series of six uniquely designed PSV
World Diamond, the first of a series of six uniquely designed platform supply vessels (PSV), was christened recently by the ship’s godmother, Princess Margareta of Romania, at Damen Shipyards’ Galati in Romania.
A main feature of the new 80.1-metre long PSV 3300 vessels is their axe-bow, or wave-piercing bow, which cuts through the water faster than other types of PSV. This, combined with the vessels’ diesel-electric propulsion, azimuth stern drives and dynamic positioning (DP 2), is designed to minimise fuel consumption.
The PSVs, which are classed by Lloyd’s Register, weigh 3,300 dwt and have breadths of 16.2 metres and draughts of 6.5 metres. They can accommodate 16 crew plus six passengers and travel at up to 13.7 knots.
Development of the new design involved extensive CAD/CAM modelling by Damen Shipyards Gorinchem in the Netherlands and rigorous model testing at MARIN (Maritime Research Institute Netherlands). The vessels have a deck load capacity of 1,500 tonnes and will carry cargoes ranging from fuel to drilling pipes, plus crews to and from offshore drilling rigs and production platforms.
The PSVs can also carry containers on deck for other types of cargo. They have fire-fighting capabilities and oil pollution recovery equipment. They have exceptional seakeeping capabilities and are ideal for the rough seas found at many offshore production sites. They have newly designed anti-roll tanks* and an optimised superstructure for maximum crew comfort.
The remaining five PSVs will be delivered to their owner, Norwegian offshore support company, World Wide Supply AS, later this year. Four of the vessels will support the oil multinational Petrobas in offshore Brazil from next year, includingWorld Diamond, which is operating in the North Sea spot market for the rest of 2013.
Source: Lloyd’s Register
