Allseas orders two offshore construction vessels from Chinese yard

Dutch/Swiss offshore installation specialist Allseas has awarded China's Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group a contract for two new offshore construction vessels (OCVs).

Designed by Norwegian naval architecture firm Salt Ship Design, the new OCVs will free up Allseas' existing OCVs for larger, more complex scopes of work.

The first vessel is scheduled for delivery in September 2026, with the second following in December 2026.

Each OCV will have a length of 100 metres, accommodation for up to 110 personnel, and a cargo deck with an area of 1,100 square metres.

Notable features on each vessel will include a DP2 system, a 150-tonne active heave-compensated crane, a 1,500kWh energy storage system, methanol-ready propulsion, and a hangar for housing two work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

Allseas said the vessels will be ideally suited for subsea construction, ROV support, and inspection, maintenance and repair activities.

"We recognised a clear need to optimise our vessel deployment to support an increasingly diverse and complex project portfolio," said Dries van Strijp, Allseas’ Vice President for Operations.

"After carefully exploring all available options, it became clear that securing two next-generation newbuilds – fully optimised with the latest technology – was the best long-term solution to strengthen our capabilities and capture new opportunities in a growing offshore market."