China's ZPMC has launched the Ulstein-designed JSD 6000 deepwater heavy-lift pipelay vessel at its facilities at Qidong.
According to information shared by Ulstein via social media, the JSD 6000 was launched Sunday, December 27.
The dynamically-positioned ‘JSD 6000’ is will feature heavy lift, S-Lay, and J-Lay via large, off-center moonpool capabilities, allowing it to serve deepwater and SURF markets as well as shallow water EPCI projects.
The Ulstein designed vessel features an NOV revolving main crane with 5,000 mt lifting capacity and a double-deck configuration.
The JSD 6000 vessel is the third customized version of the ULSTEIN SOC 5000 design after the ‘Seven Borealis’ and ‘Aegir’, which are both in operation.
The vessel was originally ordered in January 2014 by Petrofac. The ship was contracted to ZPMC shipyard in China, however, Petrofac then terminated the construction contract with the yard in October 2015.
In 2018, Petrofac signed an agreement to sell the JSD 6000 deepwater derrick lay vessel project to ZPMC and agreed to provide technical support for the construction of the vessel, which is expected to complete in 2022.