The company announced yesterday it has entered into an agreement for an eight-year charter of a new sub-sea operational support vessel.

The advanced, multi-purpose vessel is designed for construction, sub-sea operations, diving and ROV services, and will be deployed on various projects and contracts primarily in the Australasia and South-East Asia regions.

“New vessels are crucial to our growth strategy and this sub-sea construction/dive support vessel will support our current fleet, which includes ‘Normand Clipper’ and ‘Java Constructor’, and the new MSV that we are also planning to acquire,” chief executive John Cooper said.

Clough expects the vessel’s capabilities to contribute to the company becoming a “key differentiator” in the growing Australasian sub-sea construction, umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) and diving markets.

The vessel will be ready for service next June.