BMT is working with Ulstein Werft AS for the Scottish offshore company BUE Marine Ltd. Preliminary design work began last August and the vessel will arrive in the Caspian Sea in November of this year.

The project faces unique design challenges as the waters around the Kashagan field are very shallow and although the weather is very hot in summer, the sea freezes over in winter.

To account for this the vessel must be able to operate in air temperatures ranging from plus 40ºC to minus 30ºC, sea temperatures ranging from plus 32ºC to minus 1ºC, and be able to break ice up to 60cm thick ahead and 1m thick astern.

The draught must not exceed 4m under normal operation and 2.5m when icebreaking in shallow water. A special bow design developed by BMT Shipdesign and associated Canadian company Fleet Technology will prevent ice becoming trapped between the hull and the seabed.

Propulsion units thus need to operate within the 2.5m draught.

Three Wartsila main engines of 6,000kW will drive Siemens Schottel azimuthing pods working in combination with DP SPJ220 thrusters.

The building and delivery of the vessel also poses challenges for the project team. The hull minus superstructure will be built in Poland and towed to Ulstein Verft at Ulsteinvik for outfitting.

It must then be transported through Russia's canal system to arrive in the Caspian Sea in September before the canals close in October. The canal system is narrower than the vessel's final beam of 21m, necessitating movement with wing tanks stored on deck for final installation once in the Caspian Sea.

MJ Information No: 16636