Heavylift specialist Dockwise has won The Royal Association of Dutch Shipowners’ annual KVNR Shipping Award for its $240 million bowless semi-submersible being built in South Korea. The ship, which is to be christened Dockwise Vanguard upon delivery later this year, features an unconventional design drawn up in cooperation with Finnish consulting and engineering company Deltamarin. Explaining why the design was chosen, Michel Seij, Manager of Engineering at Dockwise, said the company had realised a while ago that offshore exploration and production platforms, as well as Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, were increasing in size. At the same time, it was visualized that there would be an increasing demand for such structures to be transported, in their entirety, due to the relocation of the oil industry towards deeper water and more remote areas. JS
