Different specs. Different owners. Different requirements. Same week.

Three aluminum helidecks left North Sea Offshore's Yantai facility this week. One is bound for a wind turbine installation vessel under construction at COSCO Qidong, one for a new build FSO for Mexico's first deep-water development, also at COSCO Qidong, and one for a converted storage tanker working offshore Thailand.

Two different classification societies — DNV and ABS. All three designed to CAP 437, the standard that governs helideck design and operation. Three vessel types. Three deck sizes. Three different structural solutions. All three finished and shipped in the same week.

Individually, each is just a delivery. Together, they say something about capacity: one factory, running DNV and ABS approvals at the same time, working on brand-new vessels and a conversion side by side, and getting all three out the door in the same week without any of them holding up the others.

Wind Apex: DNV, new build, offshore wind

The 22.8m deck for Cadeler's Wind Apex was built to DNV class and is headed for COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry in Qidong. Wind Apex is the third A-class vessel in Cadeler's fleet, with 5,600 m² of deck space and a payload of more than 17,000 tons, capable of carrying seven complete 15 MW turbine sets or six sets of 2XL monopile foundations per load. Delivery is scheduled for the first half of 2027.

Trion FSO: ABS, new build, deep-water production

The 22.2m deck for the Trion FSO, built to ABS class, is also destined for COSCO Qidong. The unit, named FSO Chalchi, is a Suezmax-based new build built and leased by SBM Offshore to Woodside under a 20-year contract. It will be moored in 2,300 meters of water at the Trion field, storing up to 950,000 barrels of crude. The field is a Woodside (60%, operator) and PEMEX (40%) joint venture. First oil is targeted for 2028.

Jaka Tarub: ABS, conversion, storage tanker

The third deck is a 16.62m helideck built to ABS class with a full truss support structure, for the Jaka Tarub FSO, for Valeura Energy and Red Offshore Industries. Jaka Tarub is a Panamax-sized tanker with roughly 460,000 barrels of storage capacity, converted for Valeura's Wassana field offshore Thailand.

What the week demonstrates

The range is visible on paper: 16.62m to 22.8m, pancake and truss-supported configurations, DNV and ABS, new build and conversion. But the range is the surface. Underneath it is the operational fact: a single facility ran two class societies' approval processes, two new build timelines and one conversion timeline, and shipped all three in the same week.

For an owner planning a vessel, that matters for a specific reason. Helideck procurement is usually a bottleneck you schedule around. A factory that holds DNV and ABS work in parallel, and slots a conversion deck alongside new builds without displacing either, doesn't force you to choose between your delivery date and your supplier.

If you're planning a vessel and want to talk helideck requirements, class approval or yard interfaces, contact