Norway's Rem Offshore taps local yard for IMR vessel

Norwegian offshore vessel operator Rem Offshore has selected local shipbuilder Myklebust Verft for the construction of a new inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) vessel.

Named Rem Ocean, the IMR vessel will be built to a design developed by Norwegian naval architecture firm Skipsteknisk. Upon delivery, it will enter into an eight-year charter agreement with DeepOcean, which has in turn secured a long-term agreement with Equinor.

The IMR vessel will have a length of 170 metres, dual-fuel methanol engines, battery packs, and fully electric deck equipment including cranes. Skipsteknisk said the hybrid propulsion setup will help yield fuel emissions reductions of approximately 90 per cent.

The vessel will also have an integrated module handling system (MHS), an integrated deck skidding system, 1,000 square metres of external deck space, and a hangar with an area of 350 square metres.

The MHS is designed to handle modules in challenging weather conditions with significant wave heights of up to 5.5 metres, while the ROV spread is designed to operate in wave heights of up to six metres.