Keyfield Resolute, a wholly owned subsidiary of Malaysia's Keyfield International, has entered into an agreement with China's Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding and Fujian Funing Shipbuilding for the construction of a new anchor handling tug supply vessel (AHTS).
The vessel will be fitted with a DP2 system and a diesel-electric propulsion. Its acquisition will be in line with Keyfield's strategy to allocate more resources and increase exposure to the AHTS sector while maintaining its core strength in accommodation vessel.
The contract has a value equivalent to US$18 million.
Keyfield said that, due to the timeline required for the construction of the new AHTS, the company may only be able to deploy it to its vessel chartering operations tentatively in 2028, for which the market conditions may be different from the present.
"However, with the enhanced features of the new DP2 AHTS including being more environmentally friendly, we believe that it will command higher demand as compared to older vessels with lower specifications," Keyfield said in a recent exchange filing.
