More details have emerged of a shipyard accident that is delaying the delivery of Seaway 7's new wind turbine foundation installation ship in China.

The Oslo-listed shipowner had previously said in its third-quarter report that unplanned movement of a crane A-frame on its 48,000-dwt semi-submersible Alfa Lift took place at China Merchant Industry Holding on 18 October.

Seaway 7 chief executive Stuart Fitzgerald told analysts on a conference call that the top of the main crane is designed to fold down as the ship passes under bridges.

"The folding down happened unplanned and in an uncontrolled way," the boss said.

Delivery is now expected in the second half of 2022.

The ship had originally been scheduled for handover in 2021, then early in 2022. UK shipbroker Clarksons currently has an estimate of April for the delivery, but this now looks unlikely.

"Given potential delays, we are working on contingencies and mitigations to ensure we can meet project commitments," Fitzgerald said. "These are under assessment."

Dogger Bank contract coverage needed

Seaway 7, formed in October by the merger of Arne Blystad's OHT and the renewables business of Kristian Siem's Subsea 7, said there will be an impact on the initial committed works for the vessel.

The Alfa Lift is contracted to operate at the Dogger Bank A and B wind farms in the North Sea from the third quarter of 2022.

Fitzgerald also told the call that the focus is on winning new tenders for wind farm work in the US and Europe.

He said the company would prefer to work on one project at a time, rather than having multiple, simultaneous jobs on the go.

"From a risk profile [perspective], we would feel comfortable with one project, with some overlap," Fitzgerald said.

He added that the company would ideally take on one new project every second year, or "potentially a little bit more frequently than that".