Sembcorp Marine says subsidiary Sembawang Shipyard has secured a newbuilding and three major upgrading contracts totalling $215 million.

The newbuild contract worth $123 million was awarded by Teekay Shipping (Australia) Pty Ltd for the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) of a dynamically positioned blue water research vessel for Australia. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency.

Upon completion and delivery in the second quarter of 2013, the vessel will be named RV Investigator and will be used by the Australian marine research community. She will be based in Hobart, Tasmania and operates from the tropical north to the Antarctic ice-edge and across the Indian, Southern and Pacific oceans.

The three other major upgrading projects with a total contract value of $92 million include an upgrade of a dynamically positioned heavy-lift and pipelay vessel with a lifting capacity of up to 4,400 tonnes; an LNG carrier longevity project; and an upgrade of a drillship.