New derrick lay vessel to commence operations with Saipem

Chinese manufacturer Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) has completed construction of a large derrick lay vessel capable of heavy lift, S-lay, and J-lay operations.

JSD6000 will be operated under charter by Italian offshore engineering specialist Saipem. Design work on the vessel was provided by Norway's Ulstein Design and Solutions.

Key features of the vessel include a main crane with a lifting capacity of 5,200 tonnes, a large off-centre moonpool and a DP3 system. The vessel can lay pipelines up to 36 inches (0.9 metre) in diameter in J-Lay mode and up to 60 inches (1.5 metres) in S-Lay mode, at water depths up to 3,000 metres.

Ulstein said the positioning of the moonpool allows for a large, unobstructed deck area and below-deck pipe fabrication

JSD6000 is capable of undertaking deepwater and SURF projects as well as shallow-water EPCI projects. The vessel is scheduled to commence operations with Saipem before the end of June 2024.