Maersk Supply Service, DeepOcean UK and Damen have held the keel laying ceremony of Maersk Supply Service’s new subsea support vessel at Damen Shipyards Galati (Romenia).

On Wednesday, November 12th, a key milestone was achieved in the progress of the new-building project, when the formal keel laying ceremony took place at Damen Shipyards Galati. In keeping with shipbuilding tradition, a commemorative plaque incorporating 3 special coins was welded to a corridor section of building block number 116.

The ceremony was attended by the shipyard workforce attached to the project, alongside representatives from Damen, Maersk, DeepOcean and Lloyd’s Register, who certified the milestone achievement.

Carsten Plougmann Andersen, CEO of Maersk Supply Service, said: “Keel laying of this vessel is the very physical evidence of Maersk Supply Service strengthening our position in the Sub Sea Support vessel market. We are looking very much forward to continuing the good cooperation with all involved parties to achieve delivery in February 2016.”

Remko Bouma, Damen Sales Manager adds: “The ceremony is an important milestone which we have reached on time. It shows our commitment to the agreements. Considering the way we have worked together so far, we are confident that we will deliver the DOC 8500 Cable Layer in time.”

“This next generation cable lay vessel in combination with our survey and trenching capabilities will enable us to bundle our services for customers in the offshore power cable and umbilical markets. The versatile new vessel will be well suited for installation and burial projects using its 7,000 tonne carousel from land-fall to deepwater and also in remote geographical locations. The vessel is designed to meet the high standards demanded by North Sea Oil and Gas customers. We are delighted to be working with Maersk Supply Service and Damen to bring this high capability vessel to the market,” Tony Inglis, DeepOcean UK managing director ends.