Solitaire (ship)

Solitaire was at the time of construction the world's largest pipe-laying ship at 300 metres (984 ft) long (excluding pipe-laying apparatus) and 96,000 tonnes (94,000 long tons; 106,000 short tons). When fully operational she has a crew of 420, a pipe carrying capacity of 22,000 tonnes and a pipe lay speed of more than 9 km a day.

It was built in 1972 as a bulk carrier and launched under the name Trentwood by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at their shipyard in Hiroshima, Japan, and later converted to a pipe-laying vessel between 1996 and 1998 at Swan Hunter Shipyard on Tyneside in England. The ship is owned by the Allseas Group, a Dutch pipelaying and marine construction firm with their headquarters in Switzerland.