Chinese heavy lift pipelay vessel completes sea trial

The 216-meter-long heavy lift pipelay vessel JSD 6000, designed by Ulstein and built at the ZPMC shipyard in China, has completed its sea trial and has returned to the ZPMC Changxing Base. 

The completed sea trial includes the testing of the marine equipment, while the sea trial to test the mission equipment (cable laying system) will take place next year. 

JSD 6000 is a customized Ulstein SOC5000 design that features an NOV revolving main crane with a 5,000 mt lifting capacity. It features the combination of a 600 mt Remacut S-lay system via a center-firing line below the main deck, and a 2,000 mt IHC EB J-lay system via a moonpool.

According to Ulstein, this double-deck configuration allows for a large, unobstructed deck area and below-deck pipe fabrication. The combination of heavy lift and S-Lay capabilities together with J-Lay functionality via a large, off-center moonpool, allows the vessel to serve deepwater and SURF markets as well as shallow-water EPCI projects.

In January 2014, Sharjah-based Petrofac ordered the Petrofac JSD 6000 deepwater derrick lay vessel which was contracted to the ZPMC shipyard. Petrofac terminated the construction contract with the yard in October 2015.

In April 2018, Petrofac signed an agreement to sell the vessel project to ZPMC.

The JSD 6000 was launched at the ZPMC Qidong shipyard in December 2020. In May this year, it completed its sea trial and began the process of testing the mission and pipe lay equipment.

Earlier this year, the 216-meter-long DP3 vessel vessel entered into a long-term contract with Saipem. The initial operation under this contract is scheduled to commence in 2024.