Ulstein Design & Solutions wins its largest aftermarket design contract for cable layer

Ulstein Design & Solutions has secured what it says is its largest-ever aftermarket design contract for a cable-laying vessel (CLV), owned by the Taiwanese Dong Fang Offshore (DFO).

The contract for the Orient Adventurer, previously known as Polar Onyx, includes both basic design and engineering provided by several of the companies in Ulstein.

The vessel is of ULSTEIN SX121 design, originally delivered as an offshore construction newbuild, yard number 300 from Ulstein Verft.

“We have worked with Ulstein before and find the people very professional. Ulstein knows the vessel well, and it’s an insurance to know that everything will work when doing a conversion. Choosing Ulstein Design & Solutions makes planning and installation a lot easier. It’ll shorten the schedule. And for us, schedule and successful delivery to customers is everything,” said Grant Hermanus, Technical Manager at DFO.

Upon delivery in 2014, the vessel was equipped with a Huisman vertical lay system (VLS) tower, positioned in the potential future cable-laying area. Earlier this year, the vessel was upgraded with a cable laying system.

As a result of the design and engineering contract, Orient Adventurer will undergo an extensive conversion, including the tower equipment being relocated into new rooms on main deck, A and B decks. It will also be equipped with a foundation for a walk-to-work (W2W) gangway system and a 3,000-ton cable carousel from Huisman.

The conversion will be completed this year so that the CLV can be ready for operational work in 2026.

Ulstein Design & Solutions already holds an engineering contract on a new containerized accommodation unit for the vessel.

To remind, DFO, a subsidiary of Hung Hua Construction, purchased the vessel from GC Rieber Shipping in 2021, and converted it from a construction and flex lay vessel into a CLV.

It was recently reported that DeepOcean will reunite with Orient Adventurer under a charter contract with DFO which will see the vessel join the Norwegian company’s fleet from early 2026 until the end of 2027.