Kleven Verft AS delivered one of the largest semi-submersible barges in the world

Kleven Verft AS has completed a major rebuild project of the Boabarge 33 and the barge is now successfully handed over to the Norwegian owner Boa Barges AS.

The modification has increased the width of the barge from 36 to 60,4 meters and the new deadweight (T=6.30 m) is increased to 30,200 t. In addition, eight new flotation towers have been installed, and two existing deck houses have been extended by approx. 12 meters and a launching arrangement for concrete caissons on the deck has been installed.

After the Norwegian yard Kleven Verft AS had delivered the barge to Boa Barges AS, it was ready for a test dive in the bay just outside the shipyard. The operation was done under the direction of Boa. According to Boa, the Boabarge 33 is the world's largest semi-submersible barge of its kind. The maximum draft during the submersion was 29.6 meters, so that the main deck was as much as 21 meters below sea level. At that time only two meters of the floatation towers and the deck houses were visible above the sea surface.

The barge has been extended tremendously during the modification; the deck has increased to about 5800 square meters and is specially built for the next contract. The barge will be on a mission off the coast of Dakar in West Africa. There, Boabarge 33 will be used to float off large concrete caissons, which will form a breakwater in the Tortue Field Development Project.

In addition to this project, in December 2019 Kleven Verft delivered the MS Fridtjof Nansen hybrid transport vessel, and is currently working on four major renovation projects for Hurtingruten (the pandan of Jadrolinia) and the construction of a fishing boat / swimmer for the Nordnes Gruppen.

Following the takeover, Kleven Verft AS successfully continued operating and delivering top quality products, and the DIV Group found a shipyard that was able to complement its capabilities, especially equipping the new buildings with complex equipment.