Lewek Constellation Sets Industry Record

Singapore-based EMAS has announced that its flagship subsea construction vessel Lewek Constellation has established an industry record for pipelay in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.

The Lewek Constellation has set an industry pipelay record in the GoM in 7,368 feet (2,246 meters) of water during its sea trials. In preparation for the execution of three subsea tie-back projects for Noble Energy, it performed its final pipelay trial, and during the deployment of the 3.2 kilometer, 16-inch diameter, 28mm wall thickness pipeline, complete with the second end pipeline end termination (PLET), the tension recorded was 632mt, rendering this the highest tension ever experienced in the history of rigid reeled-lay operations.

“Successfully laying the test pipe at this record-breaking top tension during pipelay trials is a significant achievement for EMAS and an industry first,” said Lionel Lee, Chairman, EMAS AMC. "It's a testament to the experience and expertise of our people combined with the quality of our new vessel built by EMAS Group’s subsidiary Triyards in Vietnam. I want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our integrated project teams in preparation for this important milestone.

“What this record means for clients going forward is that we can offer a more efficient pipelay solution in ultra-deep water for pipelines up to 16 inch in diameter when compared to traditional S-Lay or J-Lay methods, even with thick insulation coatings, thereby giving our clients more options to consider,” said John Meenaghan, Vice President Global Operations.

The Lewek Constellation is an ice-classed, multi-lay offshore construction vessel with ultra-deep water pipe laying and heavy lift capabilities. It was initially conceptualized in 2009 and its hull was successfully launched in 2012. It measures 178.27m by 46.0m, features all single berth cabins and is designed to deliver complex projects in water depths exceeding 3,000m.

Additionally, the Lewek Constellation is only one of two vessels in the world in its class achieving the highest environmental and comfort notations, with an ice-classed hull capable of transiting through 0.8m of ice and a technologically advanced DP3 system. It also comes equipped with an 800mT Huisman multi-lay system that is able to support both rigid and non-rigid pipelines, a 3,000mT Huisman offshore heavy lift crane, two Schilling workclass remotely operated vehicles and a unique portable reel system which significantly reduces mobilization time.