Taiwan's Dong Fang Offshore (DFO) will convert its subsea OSV Orient Adventurer for cable laying duties by 2026.
Norway's Ulstein Design and Solutions has secured its largest aftermarket design contract to date for the project, involving both basic design and engineering.
The vessel was originally delivered as an offshore construction newbuild. Upon delivery in 2014, the vessel was equipped with a Huisman vertical lay system tower, positioned in the potential future cable-laying area.
Earlier this year, the vessel was upgraded with a cable laying system to expand its services into the growing offshore renewables sector, but will undergo a more extensive conversion as part of this project.
The tower equipment will be relocated into new rooms on the main deck, A and B decks. The vessel will also be equipped with foundation for a walk-to-work gangway system and a 3,000-tonne cable carousel from Huisman.
Completion of the conversion will be in 2025 for the vessel to be ready for operational work in 2026. Ulstein also already holds an engineering contract on new containerised accommodation unit for the vessel.