Thursday 15 February 2018 saw the start-up of Ulstein Verft's next shipbuilding project for Acta Marine. The steelcutting ceremony was held at Crist at 10 a.m., a ceremony which marks the beginning of a newbuild project. The vessel is sister vessel to Acta Auriga, which is currently under construction at Ulstein Verft.
The contract of the shipbuilding project was announced at the OSJ offshore wind conference in London, one week prior to the steel cutting ceremony.
This SX195 design is a DP2 Walk to Work Construction Support Vessel (CSV) for the offshore industry. These ship designs are flexible and attractive for work within areas such as O&M (Operation and Maintenance) or construction support, especially in challenging weather and sea conditions.
Vessel conversions and re‑mobilisations demand more than drawings and calculations. Recent work on Orient Adventurer, now being prepared for cable-laying operations, demonstrates how critical in-depth knowledge of a vessel’s operational history is to deliver safe, class-approved solutions. Through Ulstein’s aftermarket services, we support complex vessel upgrades with engineering, stability, and weight expertise, including planning and executing inclining tests for conversion and life‑extension projects.
On Tuesday, 24 March, a large-scale rescue exercise was carried out off the coast of Lofoten, Norway, testing a new emergency towing system for ships. The cruise vessel MS Spitsbergen, with 150 passengers on board, the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel KV Barentshav, and the 330 Squadron’s SAR Queen rescue helicopter took part.
How can you be confident that a new vessel design will actually perform in rough seas and demanding operations? The answer lies in thorough verification, independent testing and documented performance. Recently, a new Ulstein design for a cable-laying vessel was tested in a large-scale ocean basin at SINTEF Ocean. The results delivered exactly what Ulstein seeks: confidence that the design performs as intended.