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Ceona, SURF contractor with heavy subsea construction capabilities, has secured a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the company’s flagship field development vessel, the Ceona Amazon.

This will be Ceona’s first rigid pipelay project in the Gulf of Mexico for US independent oil & gas operator, Walter Oil & Gas Corporation, the company reported.

The Ceona Amazon will be deployed for the Coelacanth Export Pipelines project with the scope of work encompassing the installation of an oil and a gas export line tying the new Coelacanth Platform into existing pipeline infrastructure. Each 10” line will be approximately 11 miles, totalling 22.6 miles (approximately 36 km). The pipelines will each be terminated by two pipeline end termination (PLETs) structures installed by the Amazon. All work will be undertaken in one single mobilisation.

Project Management and Engineering work has started in Ceona’s Houston office with support from the corporate offices in London and Aberdeen.

Mark Preece, Ceona’s Executive VP Commercial and Business Development, said: “We are extremely pleased that the Amazon has secured her first contract, with final vessel delivery on time and within budget. This will also be her first rigid pipelay project and we look forward to demonstrating the Amazon’s capabilities in this area.

“As such, we would like to thank Walter Oil & Gas for having such confidence in the Amazon and her distinctive, cost-effective capabilities which is a huge endorsement of Ceona’s vision for designing a vessel that takes subsea construction and installation into a new era. The project will be managed from Ceona’s Houston office and the team will ensure Walter Oil & Gas is highly satisfied by the quality of our project execution and vessel performance.”

Janelle Pence, Ceona’s VP Commercial Americas, said: “The award of Coelacanth is a milestone for Ceona and fully demonstrates our commitment to the region. We look forward to working closely with Walter Oil & Gas to deliver a safe and successful project.”

Shipbuilding specialist Lloyd Werft successfully delivered the Ceona Amazon less than two years after the letter of intent for its construction was signed. Last month, the Amazon was equipped with her inclined multi-lay VLS with a top tension of 600te, and with two 400te Active Heave Compensated (AHC) masthead cranes able to work in tandem. The two 18m (59 ft) diameter wheels on the top tower and deck are also being installed. All deck installation work has been carried out at the Huisman yard in the Netherlands.

The Ceona Amazon will represent the second new vessel – after the Polar Onyx – that Ceona has brought to the market on time and budget. The Ceona Amazon is 199.4m (655 ft) long and 32.2m (106 ft) wide, drawing 8.0m (25 ft) with a gross tonnage of 33,000te. She is due to enter service in March 2015.