General – Newbuilding

Malaysian offshore vessel owner Keyfield International has signed a contract with Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding and Fujian Funing Shipbuilding for the construction of a new dynamic DP2 anchor handling tug supply vessel.

In a bourse filing, the offshore support vessel charterer said the US$18 million contract is for the construction of a 90-tonne diesel-electric dynamic positioning 2 (DP2) AHTS vessel — used to handle anchors and tow offshore oil and gas rigs — for China’s Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding and its sister company, Fujian Funing Shipbuilding.

“The new DP2 AHTS is part of our strategy to allocate more resources and increase exposure to AHTS while maintaining our core strength in accommodation workboats as we expand our international charters,’’ said Keyfield.

The company noted that its existing AHTS fleet is largely committed to long-term charters. As such, the new vessel will expand its available capacity and allow Keyfield to pursue new tenders and spot charter opportunities without affecting existing commitments.