Wärtsilä Corporation was awarded a contract in September 2004 by Ulstein Verft AS in Norway for a 23 MW power plant to be installed in a new offshore construction vessel being built by Ulstein for the Norwegian offshore company Solstad Offshore ASA and the Swiss-based company Single Buoy Moorings Inc (SBM). The 124 m-long vessel, named “Normand Installer”, is designed by Vik-Sandvik AS, Norway.

The vessel is designed to be extremely versatile in its capabilities based upon the experience of both Solstad Offshore and SBM, and upon anticipated future demands. It has a large working deck aft, with a working area of about 2500 m2 on two decks, together with a moon pool. There is a 500-tonne winch, a 250-tonne subsea crane and a 250-tonne capacity A-frame over the stern.

Wärtsilä Solution
The vessel is equipped with a diesel-electric power plant incorporating two 16-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 diesel generating sets and two 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 diesel generating sets. The 16-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 engines each develop 7680 kW, and the 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 engines each 3840 kW, both at 720 rpm. Electric propulsion motors drive through twin Wärtsilä reduction gears to the twin Wärtsilä controllable-pitch propellers running in LIPS HR nozzles.

Wärtsilä delivered the four diesel generating sets, two reduction gears, two Wärtsilä CP propellers, LIPS HR nozzles, and the Lipstronic C7000 advanced remote control system. In addition, Wärtsilä delivered four LIPS tunnel thrusters and a LIPS retractable thruster.