Saipem leases Zhenhua Heavy Industry to build the world's most advanced deep-water lifting and laying vessel

The world's most advanced deep-water lifting and laying vessel JSD6000, recently completed by Zhenhua Heavy Industry, will be leased for a long time by Italian oil service company Saipem.

It is reported that Saipem has signed a long-term bareboat lease agreement with Zhenhua Heavy Industry for the JSD6000, with a lease term of 5+1+1 years. This ship just held a completion ceremony on May 28th and is expected to be handed over to Saipem in June.

Saipem Corporation pointed out that this charter is in line with its light capital strategy identified in its strategic plan, allowing the company to add a vessel that meets the highest safety and environmental standards, thereby expanding its service scope; At the same time, it also consolidates Saipem's position in the deep-water subsea installation service market, where the demand cycle is constantly growing.

It is understood that Saipem is a leading global engineering design and construction company for large-scale projects in the energy and infrastructure sector, including offshore and onshore projects. The company has 7 manufacturing plants and an offshore fleet consisting of 21 construction ships (17 of which are owned by Saipem, 4 of which are owned by a third party and managed by Saipem) and 15 drilling platforms (9 of which are owned by Saipem). Its business covers more than 50 countries and regions around the world, with about 30000 employees.

The "JSD6000" built by Zhenhua Heavy Industry is one of the most advanced marine engineering ships in the world. The ship integrates advanced ship technology, intelligent control systems, and high-strength materials, with a total length of 215.88 meters, a width of 49.00 meters, and a depth of 14.70 meters. It can accommodate 399 people and is equipped with a 5000 ton full swing crane, J-Lay and S-Lay pipe laying systems, an 8-point positioning anchoring system, and a DP3 dynamic positioning system. Powerful in function and with a wide range of operational capabilities, it can lay pipes with diameters ranging from 6 to 60 inches. It has the ability to lay pipes in shallow water, deep water, and ultra deep water on a single ship. It can efficiently and safely lay oil and gas pipes in the marine environment of 3000 meters of ultra deep water, and can perform offshore lifting operations such as underwater salvage, platform disassembly, and offshore wind power installation. The operating sea area can cover major sea areas around the world. The key performance indicators of the ship in terms of laying capacity, carrying capacity, lifting capacity, dynamic positioning capacity, and automation level have all reached the international advanced level.

According to the International Ship Network, the JSD6000 deep-water lifting and laying vessel was originally ordered by British company Petrofac in 2014, with a contract amount of approximately 200 million US dollars. According to the original plan, this ship will be delivered in early 2017. In October 2015, Petrofac terminated this contract on the grounds of construction issues with the ship.

In 2018, Zhenhua Heavy Industry reached an agreement with Petrofac to acquire all related assets of JSD6000, including shipowner supplied equipment, for a price of 190 million US dollars, becoming the new shipowner of the ship. In April 2019, Zhenhua Heavy Industry held a groundbreaking ceremony for the JSD6000 deep-water lifting and laying vessel project.