JUNE/JULY 2013 | £5.25 - Wind Energy Network

WorkboatsWorkboatsIsland Shipping completeanother successful projectIsland Shipping is pleased toannounce that two of the company’swind-farm service vessels, IslandTiger and Island Panther have recentlycompleted another successful UKoffshore wind-farm charter.Both vessels have carried out 120 dayscharter on behalf of Centrica at theLincs Offshore Windfarm constructionsite in the North Sea. Island Shipping isdelighted that both boats have completedtheir assignment with no days lost tomechanical failure.Demanding offshore conditionsWorking out of Sutton Bridge, the boatshave been carrying out a variety of tasksin the most demanding of offshoreconditions. Apart from carrying engineersthey have been tasked with the carriage oflight cargo and gases for construction.17 metre catamarans, Island Tiger andIsland Panther are proven, reliable offshorewindfarm vessels. Since launch in June2010, Island Tiger has worked on theGreater Gabbard and then SheringhamShoal completing 618 days on the latterwind-farm, mostlyon 24 hourcharter. Likewise,Island Panthercompleted 575days continuouscharter (mostly24 hour) onSheringhamShoal beforemoving to theLincs assignment.SpecificationsThey were one of the first to feature thenow industry standard Ocean 3 fenderand their sticking power to the tower in 2metre seas is highly regarded throughoutthe industry. For 17 metres, the vesselspunch well above their weight becausetheir large volume hulls together withhigh tunnel height and excellent interiorspec combines for an excellent ride andultimately crew comfort and safety.Clients have been more than happy withthe boats’ performance:“Sheringham Shoal utilised over 18personnel transfer vessels in variousconditions and the Island Tiger andIsland Panther were proven, operatingin the top end of the fleet’s capability.The vessels and crews performedextremely well and proved to be reliableand professional in all that we asked ofthem.” Stated SCIRA Project ManagerSheringham Shoal.Island Shippingwww.islandshipping.ieThirteen yearsof offshore windIt is remarkable to think that it is onlythirteen years ago that the very firsttransfer of personnel onto an offshorewind turbine took place in the NorthSea at the then new Blyth OffshoreWind Farm, the UK’s original offshorewind farm.Top Catperformance of our new Wave Captainclass boat, she has proved herself tobe extremely capable in some verydemanding conditions.”Boat developmentsAlnmaritec Managing Director ChrisMillman said“We are proudto have beensupplyingboats to theUK offshorewind industryA leader inthe industryMPI Offshore has been a frontrunner in the offshore wind turbineinstallation industry for over a decade,with the acquisition of the firstpurpose-built wind turbine installationvessel (WTIV), MPI Resolution, in2003 and the delivery in 2011 of twomore state-of-the-art vessels, MPIAdventure and MPI Discovery.Since delivery, these vessels have beeninstalling wind turbines, foundations andtransition pieces throughout WesternEuropean continental waters.Other servicesAlthough this activity is the core businessof MPI, the company also providesa range of complementary services,skills and equipment tailored to currentdemands in the offshore wind market.For example, the company has respondedto the growing demand for transportationof offshore personnel and the provision ofsafe access to offshore installations duringboth construction and O&Mphases. MPI Workboats’fleet of 15-20m catamaransis based on an aluminiumwater-jet-powered catamarandesign, incorporatinginnovative solutions at therequest of individual clients.GrowthLeslie Robertson, GeneralManager of MPI Workboats,has overseen the growth ofMPI’s workboat fleet, froma single vessel in 2008 tothe current eight high-speedcatamarans, and is lookingforward to the delivery of fourmore vessels, currently under constructionat South Boats IoW.Improvements and modificationsBased on client feedback and developingmarket knowledge, MPI Workboats iscontinually working on improving its fleet.Modifications completed include theinstallation of 10Te capacity cranes, 690V3Ph generators capable of poweringturbines during maintenance, and fueltransfersystems for replenishing allexisting TP generators.One specific modification worthmentioning is the installation of a T12Maxccess system on MPI Dorothea,allowing safer access from the workboatsto TP landing platforms in difficult seaconditions. This system increases safeaccess to offshore installations from waveheights of 1.1m to 1.8m. As a result,clients’ available vessel working time isincreased by 40%.MPI Offshorewww.mpi-offshore.comThe vessel used for the operation wasthe ‘Top Cat’, designed and built bylocal boat builder Alnmaritec. One of thehighly successful Wave Angler class,she was 10m long and classed to carry12 passengers and 2 crew - her originalpurpose though was wreck and sea fishing.From here a whole new sector of theindustry evolved – designing and buildingwind farm support vessels (WFSV).Leading the wayThirteen years and one hundred andtwenty boats later Alnmaritec are still in thevanguard of the industry building modernand innovative vessels many of which arein wind farm service.Their latest design - the 19m WaveCaptain class – is proving to be extremelypopular in the market, with threecompleted already and another twocurrently in build. Two of these new buildsare for Dave Armstrong of North SeaLogistics – operator of Top Cat back in2000 who said “We have been involvedin the offshore wind industry for thirteenyears during which time Alnmaritec havebuilt a series of high quality boats forus. I have to say I’m delighted with theBoat hull being turnedfor as long as we have and we aredetermined to remain at the forefront ofthe development of these vessels. TopCat was a lovely little boat but you onlyneed look at the pictures to see the hugedifferences between her and the purposebuilt vessels of today. We will continueto work closely with our clients to deliverthe new and innovative designs whichwill be required to meet the challengesemerging as we see turbines erectedfurther and further from the shore.”Alnmaritecwww.alnmaritec.co.uk78 www.windenergynetwork.co.ukwww.windenergynetwork.co.uk 79