Seabed Constructor

History
Name
  • Olympic Athene
  • Seabed Constructor
OwnerOlympic Ship Swire Seabed
OperatorOcean Infinity
Port of registryBergen,  Norway
BuilderKleven Verft AS
Launched2013
Completed2014
IdentificationIMO number: 9682148
StatusOperational
General characteristics
Class and typeMT6022 MK II subsea support and construction vessel
Tonnage
Length115.4 m (379 ft)
Beam22 m (72 ft)
Draught7.135 m (23.41 ft)
Decks7
Ice classICE-C
Installed power5 x Caterpillar 2230 ekW
PropulsionElectric
Speed12.5 kn (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) service 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph) max

Seabed Constructor is a multipurpose offshore vessel owned by Swire Seabed and contracted since December 2016 to British-owned hydrographic survey company Ocean Infinity, based in Houston, Texas, United States.[1][2] Previously known as Olympic Athene and originally Olympic Boa, the ship was launched in 2013 and is flagged in Norway.[3] The ship is designed to conduct geophysical and geotechnical surveys of the seabed, support the construction or demolition of underwater structures, conduct trenching and excavation operations, and serve as a ROV platform for the company's autonomous underwater vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles. The ship is 114 metres (374 ft) in length, with a 22 metres (72 ft) beam, a gross tonnage of 7,883, and deadweight tonnage of 6,480 metric tons. Its maximum speed is 14.1 knots (26.1 km/h; 16.2 mph).[4]

Seabed Constructor participated in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.[5][6] It was operated by Ocean Infinity on a 90-day search contract for the missing aircraft; the mission ended unsuccessfully in mid-June 2018.[7]

Seabed Constructor was then contracted by the Argentine Navy to search for the missing submarine ARA San Juan. On 17 November 2018, Seabed Constructor found San Juan a year and two days after the submarine's disappearance. The submarine lies on the seabed at a depth of 920 metres (3,020 ft) below sea level.[8]

On 22 July 2019, the French government announced that drones launched from Seabed Constructor had found the French submarine Minerve, lost at sea in 1968.[9]

On 4 December 2019, search teams from Seabed Constructor located the wreckage of SMS Scharnhorst, the flagship of the German Empire's East Asia Squadron during World War I, at a depth of 1,610 m (5,280 ft), some 98 nmi (181 km; 113 mi) southeast of the Falkland Islands.[10]

  1. ^ "Swire Seabed Secures Work for Its New Subsea Vessel". Subseaworldnews.com. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  2. ^ Kleinman, Mark (27 January 2018). "Revealed: City tycoon funds 'final' search for doomed MH370". Sky News. Sky UK. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  3. ^ "9682148". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Vessel details for: SEABED CONSTRUCTOR (Offshore Supply Ship) - IMO 9682148, MMSI 257224000, Call Sign LFIP3 Registered in Norway - AIS Marine Traffic". MarineTraffic.com.
  5. ^ "Seabed Constructor - Swire Seabed". Swireseabed.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  6. ^ "'Underwater drones' to probe seabed for lost plane". News.com.au. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  7. ^ "US team extends ocean search mission after failing to find MH370". South China Morning Post. 2 May 2018.
  8. ^ "Argentina submarine: ARA San Juan found". BBC.com. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Tweet of Florence Parly, Ministre de la Défense". twitter.com. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  10. ^ "German WWI wreck Scharnhorst discovered off Falklands". BBC News. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 5 December 2019.