GALLERY: Chinese shipyard lays keel for OOS International’s new SSCV

China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) has held a keel laying ceremony for OOS International’s new semi-submersible crane vessel (SSCV). 

The construction of OOS International’s SSCV kicked off with a steel cutting ceremony in late June. The vessel is the first of two units OOS ordered from the Chinese back in August 2016.

The Dutch provider of offshore heavy lift and accommodation solutions said on Wednesday that the keel laying ceremony for the vessel named OOS Serooskerke was held in Haimen on December 19.

The OOS Serooskerke is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2019. The vessel will be able to perform heavy lifts up to 4,400 tonnes, equipped with active heave compensation and able to perform subsea lifts.

The SSCV has accommodation for 750 people and is designed in accordance with the ABS Habitability notation for crew comfort. It also complies with UK HSE standards and is designed to operate under stringent requirements.

A total of 166 blocks are being constructed, and 38 blocks are waiting to start. The vessel is expected to stay in the dock for approximately nine months, and after that will complete the rest of its commissioning along the quayside.