DFO expands large vessel fleet to seven by 2027 delivery

Large new Cable Lay Vessel supports DFO’s growth, extending subsea capabilities.

Dong Fang Offshore (DFO) has inked a major Subsea and Cable Lay Vessel (CLV) shipbuilding contract with the Norwegian shipyard, Westcon.

Under the agreement, Westcon Yard will take over and complete the construction of a large CLV currently underway, with the contracted delivery date in the first quarter of 2027. 

The new vessel order supports DFO's recent business growth and expansion plans, and replaces cable installation capacity lost in Taiwan following the recent exercise of the 2028 option for the Orient Adventurer by DeepOcean in Europe, taking the vessel firm to the end of 2028 in Europe, with further options until 2031.

With the addition of the new CLV, DFO's operational capability will be significantly improved. The number of large construction vessels over 100 meters will increase from 2 to 7 by 2027.

DFO's operated fleet will include: two highly-specialised large CLVs, two Construction Support Vessels with cable repair capability, three Service Operations Vessels, one DP1 Survey Vessel, two Anchor Handling Tugs, seven Crew Transport Vessels, one Cargo Barge, and one newly acquired DP2 Multicat.