The Shah Deniz consortium has officially launched its subsea construction vessel Khankendi at Baku Shipyard to install the biggest subsea production system in the Caspian Sea as part of the Shah Deniz gas project.
The $378 million vessel will be deployed to the Shah Deniz field, where it is expected to perform subsea installation and construction work to a water depth of up to 550 metres over the next 11 years.
The 155-metre-long vessel is 32 metres wide and has a 13-meter main deck including 2000 square metres of deck space. It has a total weight of 17,600 tonnes, a carrying capacity of 5,000 metric tonnes at 6.5 metres draught and two engine rooms with six 4.4MW and two 3.2MW generators.
It is equipped with dynamic positioning to allow work in 3.5-metre significant wave height, a 900-tonne main crane capable of placing 750-tonne subsea structures down to 600 metres below sea level, an 18-man two-bell diving system, two work-class remotely operated vessels and a strengthened moon pool.
Khankendi can carry out complex activities without the need for anchors.
The vessel has a maximum capacity of 175 people on board, including the crew and discipline specialists.
Khankendi was designed and built by the Azerbaijan shipyard, which is a joint venture of SOCAR, the Azerbaijan Investment Company and Keppel O&M.