Helix Energy Solutions has entered into a contract for its newbuild semi-submersible well intervention vessel, the Q7000.

Helix said in a statement on Monday that the vessel would be performing subsea workover and integrated well intervention services with a major client offshore Nigeria for an estimated minimum 80-day campaign.

Helix continues to mobilize the vessel from a shipyard in Singapore where it was built by Sembcorp Marine’s Jurong Shipyard. According to Helix, the project is scheduled to begin in early January 2020.

Owen Kratz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Helix, stated, “We are very pleased to announce our first contract for the Q7000. The contract represents the result of years of work to bring our new vessel to market, and we look forward to the opportunities that our expansion into the riser-based well intervention market in West Africa will provide, as we continue to strengthen our presence globally.”

The Q7000 can perform through-riser well intervention and decommissioning operations in water depths ranging from 85m to 3,000m, utilizing the Helix-designed intervention riser system (IRS) which features a high-angle disconnect system.

The vessel was jointly developed by Sembcorp Marine Technology Pte Ltd, a Research & Development subsidiary of Sembcorp Marine, and Helix. It is a purpose-designed platform with capabilities to perform tasks, including conventional and extended top hole drilling, subsea construction, decommissioning well intervention, coiled tubing operations and twin ROV deployment.