The Netherlands: Van Oord Christens New Flexible Fallpipe Vessel

Van Oord’s new flexible fallpipe vessel, the Stornes, was christened on 24 September. The event, which was attended by hundreds of guests and Van Oord employees, took place at the Wilhelmina dock in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The christening ceremony was performed by Mrs J. van Vonno, wife of former Supervisory Director W. van Vonno.

The Stornes is an ocean-going vessel that will be used mainly in the oil and gas industry for precision protection of pipelines and cables down to a depth of 2,000 m. It is the third and – with a loading capacity of 27,000 tonnes – also the largest flexible fallpipe vessel in the Van Oord fleet. The Stornes was built at the CIMC Raffles yard in Yantai, China, where it was launched on 20 August 2010.

 The name of the new vessel, Stornes, is in keeping with the tradition of flexible fallpipe vessels in the Van Oord fleet (Tertnes, Nordnes). Nes is an ancient word for a peninsula in both Dutch and Norwegian. Stor is the Norwegian word for large. ‘Stornes’ therefore means ‘large peninsula’. The construction of the Stornes is part of Van Oord’s comprehensive investment programme for 2011-2015 period, amounting to almost EUR 1 billion.

 Main features

Name: Stornes,

Type: flexible fallpipe vessel,

Length: 175 m,

Width: 26 m,

Total power installed: 16,182 kW,

Loading capacity: 27,000 tonnes.

The growth of the global economy and the expanding world population are generating a rising demand for energy worldwide. The offshore infrastructure necessary to transport fuel is being extended and improved all the time. By deploying this vessel, Van Oord is enhancing its position as a leading offshore marine contractor.

Van Oord company profile

Van Oord operates around the world as a pre-eminent contractor for dredging, marine engineering and offshore projects (oil, gas and wind). We are an innovative partner for our clients and, for over one hundred years, have been helping to create the infrastructure for the world of tomorrow. Van Oord is an independent, family-owned business with its head office in the Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It employs some 5,000 people worldwide.

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Source: vanoord, September 26, 2011;