Sapura 3500

In March and April 2014, COSCO Shipyard Group delivered two derrick lay vessels, Sapura 1200 and Sapura 3500, to Malaysian-based contractor SapuraKencana. Ulstein Design & Solutions BV designed both vessels.  

The Sapura 1200 (original name SapuraKencana 1200), an ULSTEIN DLV 1200 design, was the first unit to be delivered, followed in late April by the Sapura 3500 (original name SapuraKencana 3500), an ULSTEIN DLV 3500 design.

Both vessels are designed as self-propelled heavy lift/pipelay vessels featuring 10-point mooring systems for operations in water depths up to 150 m, while they utilise their DP3 systems for deepwater operations.  

The vessel design contract aimed for maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness. As such, the vessels feature a single centre joint firing line to optimise pipe laying operations that are not hampered by vertical motions due to roll. Firing lines and the single joint fabrication areas are on a tween deck entirely covered by the main deck, providing a clean and dry environment for the pipelay equipment and an unobstructed main deck for lifting operations. This double deck feature was first introduced to the market by Ulstein on the Sapura 3000 derrick lay barge for the same client and has been a characteristic design signature to the vessels designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions BV. It is commonly used in the industry for new derrick lay vessels. 

Beyond efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the commonality in both designs has been a key design aspect. The pipelay arrangement is the same on both vessels, although the capacities differ. The main difference is the operational profile of the Sapura 1200, which is primarily focused on pipelay, whereas the Sapura 3500 is targeted at heavy lift jobs. Hence, there is also a difference in crane capacities, beam, and tensioning capacity. 

ZPMC supplied the fully revolving main derrick cranes. The Sapura1200 can lift 1,200 mt fixed over the stern at 40 m and 1,000 mt fully revolving at 30 m outreach. For Sapura 3500, these figures are 3,500 mt at 35 m and 2,000 mt at 30 m, respectively.

Ulstein designed the stingers for both vessels, but more importantly, a market novelty featuring those vessels is the fully integrated Ulstein Stinger Handling System (SHS) using an A-frame, which has been developed in parallel with the ship design. This integrated approach resulted in a very compact system that was optimally integrated into the aft ship, with due consideration given to stinger section handling, maintenance, and accessibility during operations. In addition to stinger handling, the A-frame can also be used for Deepwater Lowering purposes, using the wire of the Abandon & Recovery (A&R) system.

Due to its large deck area, the JSD 3500 can be upgraded with a J-lay tower over the side.

2021: The vessel is currently operating as an offshore wind installation vessel, and in February 2021, it was reported to have performed monopile installations on the Yunlin Offshore Wind Farm.

2023: Still active - IMO 9651204