Specialist engineering services provider Lamprell has won two new contracts from Fred Olsen Windcarrier for a total of $320.4 million (Ôé¼232.4 million).
The contracts are for the design, construction and delivery of two Gusto MSC NG-9000 self-elevating and self-propelled offshore wind turbine installation vessels.
Both vessels will be constructed at UAE-based Lamprell's Jebel Ali facility and will be delivered in the second and third quarters of 2012.
In addition to the contracts for the two units, Lamprell and Windcarrier have signed an option agreement for two further vessels.
The order marks an entry into the offshore wind farm installation market for Norwegian company Fred Olsen, which mostly deals in shipping, offshore and energy.
The company does not yet have any firm contracts from customers for use of the vessels, but says potential clients include power utility companies and turbine producers, with whom it has been in contact.
The 14,000 tonne design weight vessels will be equipped with dynamic positioning, high speed jacking systems, an 800 tonne crane and a rotary propulsion system that allows the vessels to sail at a speed of 12 knots.
Each vessel will also have accommodation for 80 personnel and a payload capacity in excess of 5,000 tonnes.
Commenting on the contract awards, LamprellÔÇÖs CEO Nigel McCue said: ÔÇ£We are pleased to be announcing todayÔÇÖs contract win with Fred Olsen and delighted to be contracting with a company with such an internationally recognised reputation within the energy industry.
ÔÇ£We believe that the offshore wind sector provides Lamprell with a unique opportunity to utilise its high-level engineering skills in a new and fast-growing sector, where there is currently a lack of installation vessel capacity.ÔÇØ
He concluded: ÔÇ£Our contract with Windcarrier not only re-affirms our reputation for delivery of projects on time, on budget and to a very high standard but it also endorses our strategic goal of becoming the fabricator of choice in the offshore windfarm installation vessels market.ÔÇØ
Lamprell has been a key player in the developing offshore industry in the Arabian Gulf for over 30 years.
Its three main construction and repair facilities are based in Port Khalid and the Hamriyah Free Zone, in the emirate of Sharjah; and in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, in the emirate of Dubai.
On news of the contract wins, shares in Lamprell soared over 20 per cent to 224.6 penceÔÇötheir highest level in almost three months.
