Construction of Mermaid Ausana Begins

Mermaid Maritime Public Company announced that it has marked the start of its new vessel / rig construction by participating in a steel cutting ceremony for its performance class tender rig ‘MTR-3’ and DP2 multipurpose subsea dive support and construction vessel ‘Mermaid Ausana’.

The ceremony took place at the shipyards of China Merchants Heavy Industry in China in Nantong and Shenzhen, respectively. The ‘MTR-4’, which will be identical to the ‘MTR-3’, is scheduled to have its steel cutting ceremony two months later.

The ‘MTR-3’ and ‘MTR-4’ will be state-of-the-art performance class tender assist drilling rigs incorporating the latest modern design features, and will be the most advanced tender rigs in the market when they are delivered in 2016. The rigs will each be equipped with a modern drilling package supplied by leading drilling equipment specialist National Oilwell Varco and will feature a larger deck space, bigger cranes, faster rig moves, larger and more living quarter capacity, larger tank storage and offline activity systems.

In addition, both rigs will be able to operate in water depths of up to 243 meters with conventional mooring and 914 meters with pre-laid mooring, and have a drilling depth rating of 7620 meters and 1accommodation for 200 personnel, making both rigs an appealing option and solution for potential clients looking for a complete production drilling program.

The DNV classed, fully OGP compliant ‘Mermaid Ausana’ on the other hand, will be a DP2 multipurpose subsea dive support and construction vessel that will be equipped with an 18-man twin bell saturation system and will have two self powered hyperbaric lifeboats. The vessel will be equipped with diesel electric frequency controlled propulsion, highly efficient azimuth thrusters, dynamic positioning systems, offshore cranes and a large platform deck for construction duties. Upon completion and delivery in 2016, the ‘Mermaid Ausana’ will possess excellent characteristics for worldwide deployment.