Built at a cost in excess of $1.5bn and capable of lifting and transporting record-breaking 20,000-tonne loads, Heerema Marine Contractors' giant new semi-submersible heavy-lift ship is poised to enter service next month.

The 220-metre-long Sleipnir is promised to become a game changer for the offshore contracting sector.

Tied up alongside the fitting out pier at Sembcorp Marine’s Tuas Boulevard shipyard in Singapore, the Sleipnir looks like a large semi-submersible rig albeit fitted with two giant cranes.