SINOPACIFIC Own Brand OSV Inked First Order Domestically

On July 28th, 2014, Sinopacific Shipbuilding Group (SINOPACIFIC) signed a contract with Shenzhen Huawei Offshore Shipping Transport Co., Ltd. (Huawei Offshore, a subsidiary of Shanghai Salvage Company) for the construction of 5 offshore vessels.

All the vessels are designs from the SP brand, which is SINOPACIFIC’s own brand; 3 of them are AHTS SPA85L design and 2 are PSV SPP35ML design. The vessels will be built in Zhejiang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (Zhejiang Shipyard, SINOPACIFIC’s ship construct base) and are expected to be delivered from February 2016 until the end of the year. 

This contract marks the first domestic order for Offshore Vessels for SINOPACIFIC who has been exclusively building vessels for oversea owners and ushers in a first cooperation with China Classification Society (CCS). After delivery, the new vessels will be used for deepwater oil exploration in the South China Sea. 

Founded in 1951, Shanghai Salvage Company, is one of the biggest professional salvage companies in China. The core business of Huawei Offshore, of its subsidiary, is to provide offshore support vessels and corresponding support for both domestic and overseas oil producers. Since 2013, Huawei Offshore has initiated a new round of fleet update to its sizable fleet. Energy-saving and environment-friendly OSVs with sophisticated design have been purchased to support the company’s long-term business. 

Both ship types ordered are customized versions of SINOPACIFIC’s existing ship designs. During the research and development stages, Shanghai Design Associates (SDA), a branch of SINOPACIFIC specializing in OSV design, applied lessons learned from similar ship designs and added innovative technologies in order to create new generation vessels with the most advanced design concepts and technical characteristics. It is worth mentioning that both SPA85L and SPP35ML have adopted AFE propulsion system which further promotes their energy-saving capabilities. 

With a pull of 85mt, overall length of 70.81m, breadth of 16.00m, deadweight of 2,800mt, maximum service speed of 13kn and accommodation for 48 persons, SPA85L design has been constructed on the basis of the SPA80 design. This base design was shortlisted as one of the best ships of 2013 by OSJ (Offshore Support Journal), a leading revue in the offshore vessel market. The main dimensions of SPA85L have been optimized with regard to the complex conditions of the South China Sea, and the moulded depth and freeboard have been increased compared with conventional AHTS. In the SPA85L design, particular focus has been given to the “Supply” function of the vessel whereby the deck area has been enlarged. 

The SPP35ML is an upgraded version of the original SPP35. It is a well-designed energy-saving and environment-friendly vessel that, in 2013, was named as one of the 7 Classic Vessels of 2013 by Marine LOG, the American marine magazine. SPP35 was the only vessel designed by a Chinese shipbuilder to be among the 7 winners. Several SPP35 vessels have been successfully delivered to date and have been widely acclaimed by ship-owners. 

The tailor-made SPP35ML vessel is 81.75m long, 17.20m wide, 7.80m in depth mould and has deadweight of 4,000mt. The deck area covers 809m2and the vessel offers a maximum service speed of 14kn and accommodation for 41 persons. With its energy-savings, environmentally friendly features and high levels of automation, this vessel emphasizes comfort and user-friendly design. Its performances in terms of the diversity of cargoes and maximum capacity are especially advantageous, and it is also equipped with a lot of forward-looking functions. The vessel fully meets the damaged stability requirements of International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code) and Code of Safety for Special Purpose Ships (SPS Code) and its safety indicators are very high. 

At the signing of the contract, Mr. Simon Liang, Chairman & CEO of SINOPACIFIC, stressed that, “as a company driven by technology, we are pleased to witness the success of the strategy that product research and development is driven by market demand. In the future, we will carry on our research and development of forward-looking products and provide more value-added vessels to the industry.”