Baku Shipyard launches subsea construction vessel newbuild

A state-of-the-art subsea construction vessel has been launched in Baku to support the Shah Deniz Stage 2 project.

Khankendi was designed and built by Baku Shipyard, a joint venture between SOCAR, the Azerbaijan Investment Company (AIC) and Keppel O&M, to install the biggest subsea production system in the Caspian Sea.

The US$378 million vessel is 155 metres in length and 32 metres wide with 2,000 square metres of deck space. It has a total weight of 17,600 tonnes, a carrying capacity of 5,000 metric tonnes at 6.5 metres draught and two engine rooms with six 4.4MW and two 3.2MW generators.

It is equipped with dynamic positioning to allow working in 3.5 metre significant wave height, a 900-tonne main crane capable of placing 750-tonne subsea structures down to 600 metres below sea level, an 18-man two-bell diving system, two work-class ROVs and a strengthened moon pool. Khankendi can carry out complex activities without the need for anchors.

The vessel has a maximum capacity of 175 people on board, including the marine crew and discipline specialists.