VARD hands over PSV-turned-CLV to Canadian owner

Norway’s VARD has delivered the cable-laying vessel (CLV) it had converted from a platform supplier (PSV) to I.T. International Telecom Marine (IT), a Canadian company active in the offshore oil & gas and energy sectors.

The vessel was built at Vard Brattvaag and delivered to Volstad Maritime in 2008 under the name Volstad Princess. SD Standard Drilling acquired the vessel in 2017 before it was sold to IT in 2021 and renamed IT Infinity.

At the beginning of the year, the vessel returned to VARD for an extensive conversion which included the addition of new accommodation for 32 people and required approximately 550 tons of steel, all sourced and processed in Norway. 

The conversion work was carried out at Vard Brattvaag in collaboration with a network of specialists and VARD’s suppliers. In addition to structural changes, Vard Electro was involved in upgrading the vessel’s electrical systems, encompassing the installation of new switchboards and cabling, as well as updates to the existing electrical systems, while Vard Interiors delivered a new HVAC system.

IT Infinity’s full conversion to a CLV will include the installation and integration of cable equipment such as 60-ton A-frame,  25-ton cable drum engine (CDE), 20-ton linear cable engine (LCE), MD3 cable plough system, remotely operated vehicle (ROV), fiber optic cable testing and jointing equipment, and upgraded vessels station keeping system to a fully operational DP2 Class approved positioning system. 

“Vessel conversion for such a specific end-use is a complex task. One requiring close collaboration, and at times some outside-the-box thinking. VARD were with us every step of the way throughout the conversion of IT Infinity,” said Steve Arsenault, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at IT. 

“The key for us was to start with a sea-worthy vessel and build on that solid foundation with the latest-generation submarine cable handling and burial equipment. That’s what we were able to achieve here, thanks entirely to the tireless efforts of the IT and VARD vessel conversion teams.”