Dong Fang Offshore has signed a shipbuilding contract with Norwegian yard Westcon for a new subsea and cable lay vessel.
Westcon will take over and complete construction of the large CLV with delivery set for the first quarter of 2027, the company said.
The order replaces installation capacity lost in Taiwan after DeepOcean exercised its 2028 option for the Orient Adventurer in Europe, it added.
“The decision for this new CLV is driven by the successful extension of the Orient Adventurer’s contract, and as such a new vessel is required to replace her for subsea cable projects DFO have already secured in 2028 in APAC,” said the chief executive of DFO.
With the new unit, the number of DFO’s large construction vessels over 100 metres will rise from two to seven by 2027.
DFO’s operated fleet includes two large CLVs, two construction support vessels with cable repair capability, three service operations vessels, one DP1 survey vessel, two anchor handling tugs, seven crew transfer vessels, one cargo barge and one newly acquired DP2 multicat.