Niestern Sander to build world’s first shallow-draught, icebreaking walk-to-work vessel

Royal Niestern Sander has emerged as the winner in a tender for the construction of a new walk-to-work vessel for a joint venture formed by Russian companies Mercury Sakhalin and Pola.

Mercury Sakhalin will operate the vessel for the oil and gas industry on the east coast of Sakhalin in Russia’s Far East. Support for the vessel’s operation will be provided by Wagenborg Offshore, which will also contribute to its design.

The vessel will be designed and optimised for year-round operations in temperatures ranging from -30 degrees to 35 degrees Celsius. It will have a shallow draught of 3.15 metres, a transit draught of four metres in open waters, and a grounded bottom notation and will be capable of breaking through ice up to 100 centimetres thick.

The vessel will perform year-round crew transfer services for up to 40 persons from the shallow draught Nabil Port to offshore platforms near the east coast of Sakhalin. In addition, the vessel can be deployed for oil spill response services.

Niestern Sander claims the vessel will be the world’s first shallow-draught, icebreaking walk-to-work vessel when it is completed and delivered in December 2021.