DEME Offshore jack-up Apollo has completed a one-month refit at Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque in northern France.
The work included installation of a moon pool on the main deck, which involved creating an opening in the centre of the vessel, from the main deck down to the engine stores and through the hull.
To achieve this without compromising the structural integrity of the 87.5-metre vessel, the work was done in a strict sequence based on strength calculations.
The vessel was jacked up to allow the work to be conducted from a pontoon positioned directly beneath the hull.
Apollo is now in Scotland carrying out piling work on the 950MW Moray East offshore wind farm.
Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque commercial manager Fabien Guillemot said: “We performed the complete scope of work with the vessel jacked-up alongside the quay.
“For our customers this demonstrates that for vessels of this type we do not always need to incur the added cost and time of drydocking for projects or mobilisations that require works below the waterline.
“The location of our shipyard in the east port of Dunkerque has a constant water level thanks to the locks that separate us from the open sea. That greatly simplifies operations like this.”