Dubai, 15 January 2015 – Eversendai Offshore RMC FZE, an Oil & Gas and marine fabrication company; specializing in onshore and offshore projects and wholly owned by Eversendai Corporation Berhad, has kicked off the New Year by announcing yet another milestone achievement with the keel laying for both units of GustoMSC NG-2500X self-propelled jack-ups, known as liftboats, awarded by Vahana Offshore (S) Pte Ltd in 2014.
Keel laying signifies the formal recognition of the start of the vessels’ construction even though fabrication of the modules may have commenced months before. Our vessels are largely built in a series of pre-fabricated, complete hull sections rather than being built around a single keel. The event recognised as the keel laying is the first joining of modular components, or the lowering of the first module into place in the building dock.
The dual keel laying ceremony was held at Eversendai Offshore’s waterfront yard facility in RAK Maritime City, Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, which spans across a land measuring approximately 200,000 square metres with 550 metres of quayside. The ceremony marks the second major milestone for the 2 new-build self-propelled jack-ups; respectively named ‘Aryan’ and ‘Arjun’ and scheduled to be delivered in 2016 after the premier steel-cutting ceremony in October 2014. Senior Management from Eversendai Offshore as well as the classification society, DNV-GL were present to witness the keel laying of both jack-ups.
The GustoMSC NG-2500X self-propelled jack-ups will each consist of a rectangular hull and four 95 metre truss type legs; each with an electric driven rack and pinion jacking system, which will allow the unit to jack up in water depths of up to a maximum of 70 metres. The liftboat’s primary operating capabilities will include a 300-tonne crane, Dynamic Positioning (DP-2) system, accommodation for a minimum of 150 personnel and is propelled by its own thrusters to a speed of 5 knots.
Eversendai Group’s Executive Chairman and Group Managing Director, Tan Sri A K Nathan said, “We are pleased to note our progress in executing this project as it substantiates our decision to venture into the oil & gas, petrochemical and process plant construction sectors. We look forward to successfully completing this project whilst boosting our efforts and simultaneously intensifying our presence in the Oil & Gas industry”.
Tan Sri A K Nathan concluded by stating “We are positive that all our efforts and initiatives that have been set in place would lead to more opportunities for the Group to secure new contracts on a global scale. We anticipate our foray into this sector to be a significant contributor to Eversendai Group’s earnings in time to come”.