Edison Chouest selects Rolls-Royce for anchor handler deck machinery

Edison Chouest Offshore has selected Rolls-Royce to supply deck machinery for four of its large anchor handlers.

Under the £50m contract, Rolls-Royce's deck machinery equipment will provide low-pressure high-torque winches, stern rollers, anchor handling cranes and anchor launch and recovery systems (A-LARS).

The equipment package will also include all mechanical, hydraulic and electric systems.

The four vessels have been designed by North American Shipbuilder and will be constructed by Estaleiro Navship LTDA in Brazil.

Under an eight-year contract with Petrobras, the vessels will be specially developed for operations in Brazilian waters and meet all requirements for worldwide operations.

Rolls-Royce Offshore president John Knudsen said: "We are proud that Edison Chouest has chosen Rolls-Royce products for these new and advanced vessels."

"Our anchor handling team's in-depth knowledge about offshore operations has been vital to developing the optimum solution together with the ship owner and designer."

The first vessel will be delivered in March 2015 and the fourth will be handed over in January 2017.

Recently, the Singapore-based Chellsea Group awarded options to COSCO Shipyard Group for the construction and delivery of four UT 771 WP platform supply vessels (PSVs) designed by Rolls-Royce.

With shipyards operating in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Brazil, Edison Chouest Offshore currently operates a marine transportation fleet of more than 200 vessels, ranging from 87ft to 360ft-long, that are built to support the deepwater oil drilling industry.