Saipem delays

“The new delivery date has been agreed to benefit from a recent reduction in steel prices along with further upgrading of the operating characteristics of the vessel,” Saipem said.

Saipem also said the delay was “compatible with the slippage of some projects”, but gave no further details.

The pipelayer, which was ordered in April 2007 for a reported $679m, had an initial delivery date of “early 2010”.

It is being built to ABS class and will come equipped with a 600-tonne mast crane and two 55-ton pipe-handling gantry cranes.

It will be able to operate worldwide, including in the North Sea, Baltic Sea, Barents Sea, South Atlantic, West Africa, Gulf of Mexico and northern Australia.

Saipem said its new field development ship ordered at Samsung Heavy Industries in June 2008 remains on schedule for delivery in mid-2011.

Last month Saipem agreed to pay Oslo-listed rival Acergy $78m to acquire its semi-submersible pipelay barge Acergy Piper (built 1975).