Keppel hands over new multi-purpose ice-class vessel

Keppel Singmarine, a subsidiary of Keppel Offshore & Marine, has delivered a multi-purpose ice-class vessel to New Orient Marine.

New Orient Marine is a subsidiary of Luxembourg-based Maritime Construction Services.

Keppel Singmarine secured a contract to build from New Orient Marine to build an ice-class multi-purpose vessel worth about S$265 million in January 2015. It was originally scheduled for completion in mid-2017.

The vessel has now been completed and delivered under the name MPV Everest. It will be able to carry out subsea repair and construction activities at 3000 meters of water depth, well intervention, diving support services with an 18-men twin-bell system, fire-fighting and emergency rescue operations, as well as towing and the provision of supplies in Arctic terrain.

Abu Bakar Mohd Nor, Managing Director (Gas & Specialised Vessels), Keppel O&M, and Managing Director of Keppel Singmarine, said: “This is the eleventh ice-class vessel we have built and it extends our track record as the leading shipyard in designing and building ice-class vessels.”

Built to the proprietary design of Keppel O&M’s ship design and development arm, Marine Technology Development (MTD), MPV Everest can operate in ambient temperature as low as minus 30 degree Celsius. It will have an Ice Class Arc 5 notation and capabilities such as Class 3 dynamic positioning and navigating in ice of up to 1 meter thickness.

Knut Reinertz, Director of Maritime Construction Services, said, “The addition of this highly versatile, robust and high specification multi-purpose ice-class vessel to our fleet will enable us to provide a wide variety of value-added services to our customers. It is designed for efficient and high-performance operation even in harsh Arctic and cold climate conditions. This is a result of our experience as an operator and charterer combined with Keppel’s expertise in specialized ice-class vessels. I am confident the vessel will be a success when deployed in cold or warm climate regions.”

In the last decade, Keppel O&M has completed 10 ice-class specialized shipbuilding projects, excluding the MPV Everest. These include four ice-class Anchor Handling Tug Supply/rescue vessels, two icebreakers, two ice-class supply vessels, an ice-class multipurpose duty-rescue vessel and an ice-class Floating Storage and Offloading vessel.