The Gdynia-based shipyard CRIST S.A. commenced construction of another vessel on 7 January. The project concerns a service operation vessel (SOV) designed to provide safe offshore platform access, which will bear the name Sea Dragon. The contract is being executed for the shipowner DOF and will be carried out under the supervision of the classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

The steel-cutting ceremony took place at the shipyard’s premises in Gdynia, with representatives of the Owner, subcontractors and the classification society in attendance. The vessel has been assigned yard number NB110. The contract was signed in August of last year. The newbuild is based on the MMC 995L SBC design developed by MMC Ship Design & Marine Consulting, which is also responsible for the technical and class documentation.

One of the vessel’s primary functions will be to ensure safe transfer of personnel to and from offshore installations, enabled by a dedicated Walk2Work motion-compensated gangway system. The vessel will have an overall length of 109.7 metres and a beam of 22 metres. Accommodation will be provided for 164 persons, including marine crew and offshore personnel.

The unit will be equipped with DP3 dynamic positioning capability and advanced navigation systems to maximise operational efficiency while maintaining the lowest practicable carbon footprint. The propulsion and power system will incorporate two battery energy storage systems, each with a capacity of 1 MWh, enabling fuel savings of up to 35% during operations.

Throughout its history, CRIST S.A. has completed more than 400 projects, including hulls constructed for other shipyards as well as turnkey newbuild contracts. The yard specialises in complex, one-off and prototype vessels delivered on a turnkey basis and is recognised as one of Europe’s leading offshore structure manufacturers.

Among its key design partners is MMC Ship Design & Marine Consulting, an independent Gdynia-based naval architecture and marine engineering office with experience in developing innovative vessel concepts for the offshore industry and other sectors, including naval vessels. One of the company’s designs expected to enter the construction phase later this year is the rescue vessel under the “Ratownik” programme for the Polish Navy, to be built by PGZ Stocznia Wojenna.