A new dive support vessel (DSV), optimized for operations in the North Sea, will feature three MacGregor offshore cranes, enabling efficient load-handling in the subsea environment.

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, secured a new contract for one 120-ton active heave-compensated (AHC) MacGregor offshore crane and two 10-ton offshore cranes from South Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). The cranes will be installed on a new 123m specialized dive support vessel being built for U.K.-based Subsea 7, a construction and services contractor for the offshore energy industry. The new vessel will be delivered at the end of 2015.

The larger crane is designed for operating at depths of around 500m at an outreach of 12m; the two smaller auxiliary cranes will operate at depths of 350m at 15m outreach.

"This vessel has been optimized for operations in the North Sea and the cranes form a critical element of this capability," said Frode Grøvan, Director, Sales and Marketing for Advanced Load Handling. "This is not the first time Subsea 7 has turned to us for a major crane contract. We fitted 250-tonne and 200-tonne AHC MacGregor cranes to its advanced diving vessel Seven Havila, which was delivered in 2011."