Giant Deepwater Construction Vessel Seven Arctic Calls at Fremantle

What a vessel!

One of the world’s most capable offshore construction vessels, the Seven Arctic, arrived in Fremantle on Thursday, 1 October and remained alongside until yesterday, Saturday, 3 October, presenting an imposing sight for harbour watchers and maritime enthusiasts alike. Here’s a wonderful eye-in-the-sky pic of her on Saturday morning at North Quay Berth 2 taken by Les Moyle of Balm Commercial Photography.

Here’s another of her with a vehicle carrier and tug about to pass her by while still in Freo Harbour!

Built in 2017 by Hyundai Heavy Industries and operated by Subsea7, the vessel is designed to install subsea pipelines, flexible flowlines, umbilicals and heavy underwater infrastructure in water depths of up to 3,000 metres.

The vessel’s capabilities are remarkable. She carries a 1,000-tonne offshore crane, a sophisticated 600-tonne top-tension pipelay system, twin remotely operated underwater vehicles and extensive underdeck storage capable of carrying around 7,000 tonnes of flexible pipe and umbilicals.

Unlike conventional ships that rely on anchors, the Seven Arctic employs Dynamic Positioning Class III technology, enabling her to hold position with extraordinary precision during offshore construction activities.

Her name reflects another distinctive feature. The vessel was designed for operation in harsh northern conditions and carries Ice Class 1D notation, allowing her to work in cold-weather environments as well as tropical waters.

Seven Arctic arrived in Fremantle after a voyage from Cape Town, South Africa.

Her destination is Dampier, from which port Subsea7 conduct business, suggesting a return to the offshore oil and gas fields of north-west Australia, where vessels of this type are routinely engaged in pipe laying and maintenance work on subsea energy infrastructure. We gather she’s calling by Henderson, near Freo, first to pick up stuff to take with her before she gets under full steam.

As Seven Arctic left Port Les Moyle gathered another bunch of amazing shots of her passing through the heads and making her way to Henderson.