Por onde anda? Normand Maximus
Automatically generated translation; may contain errors.
Ten years after delivery, Normand Maximus has set subsea records, worked on major offshore developments and undergone significant commercial changes.
On October 6, Solstad Offshore exercised its option to acquire the vessel for US$125 million, with ownership transfer scheduled for October 2027.
Delivered by VARD in 2016, the 178-metre DP3 vessel has a 900-tonne active-heave-compensated crane, a 550-tonne vertical lay system and accommodation for 180 people. It remains Solstad’s largest vessel.
Its career began under an eight-year charter with Saipem, bringing the vessel to Brazil in late 2016 for deepwater operations in the Santos Basin.
In February 2017, an accident offshore Brazil resulted in one fatality and four injuries. Authorities in Brazil and Norway investigated the incident.
That year, it set a world record offshore Egypt by transporting and installing a 158-kilometre umbilical in one campaign. In 2019, it surpassed that mark with 178 kilometres, according to VARD.
In September 2020, Saipem terminated the vessel’s original charter approximately four years ahead of schedule, removing around US$200 million from Solstad’s contracted backlog.
The contractual dispute was settled in May 2021 for US$48.25 million. In 2022, Normand Maximus was sold to American Shipping Company under an arrangement that allowed Solstad to retain operational control. Further financial restructuring followed.
Another difficult period came during the Cassiopea project in Italy, when the vessel was temporarily subject to judicial seizure. A subsequent dispute over charter payments was resolved through arbitration in May 2026, with a ruling in Solstad’s favour.
In 2024, Normand Maximus returned to Brazil for Saipem’s Búzios 7 campaign, supporting the installation of subsea infrastructure for Petrobras. Its subsequent assignments included the Lapa Southwest development for TotalEnergies.
In 2026, the vessel was included in ExxonMobil’s Uaru development activities in Guyana’s Stabroek Block. It also participated in Saipem’s Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea, offshore Romania.
Further international work is planned. In September, Saipem confirmed Normand Maximus among the vessels selected for the West Hub Tails project offshore Angola, under a contract worth approximately US$350 million.
Solstad has also announced a letter of intent for worldwide subsea operations beginning in Q1 2027, with a two-year initial period and an option extending into 2030.
A decade after delivery, Normand Maximus remains active in major offshore developments, following a history of technical achievements, commercial challenges and changing ownership structures.
Explore Normand Maximus’ vessel specifications, contract history and market intelligence on WSB-One: https://wsb-one.com
This article was produced by Westhon Media for One Energy News.