UK: South Boats Secure Order for Construction of Seven Offshore Wind Farm Support Catamarans

South Boats Special Projects Ltd. and Turbine Transfer Ltd. announce the two companies have signed a contract for the construction of seven offshore wind farm support catamarans. Five of the craft will be built at South Boats’ new facility in Cowes and two will be sub-contracted to Buckie Ship Yard.

The order is spread across South Boats’ extensive product range and comprises of 2 x South Catamaran 16m WFSV, 2 x South Catamaran 18m WFSV, 2 x South Catamaran 19m WFSV and 1 x South Catamaran 24m WFSV. When delivered this will give Turbine Transfers a fleet of 25 x South Catamarans with further orders expected.

The pair of 16m vessels, ‘Porth Wen’ and ‘Porth Cadlan’, will be built at Buckie Ship Yard and will be the 6th and 7th vessels built for South Boats at their facility. The vessels are powered by twin Scania DI16 43M 800hp marine engines driving Ultra Dynamics UJ452 water jet units for sprint speeds in excess of 26 knots. The vessels are delivered in October and November 2011.

The pair of 18m vessels, ‘Abersoch Bay’ and ‘Kinmel Bay’, are both very different vessels. ‘Abersoch Bay’ is a development vessel fitted with a soft mounted superstructure, new design fender system, development integrated bridge and ship control and monitoring system, and new lightweight, anti-noise and vibration paint coatings and linings. A new window design will eliminate misting and condensation. The vessels is also built under survey and classed to DNV 1A1 HSLC R2 Wind Farm Service 1. ‘Kinmel Bay’ is a repeat of a recent built ‘Towyn Bay’. Both vessels are fitted with twin MTU 8V2000M72 965hp marine engines driving Ultra Dynamics UJ575 for sprint speeds in excess of 25 knots. The vessels are both delivered in December 2011.

The 19m are the first two of a new design. The ‘Caernarfon Bay’ and the ‘Tremadog Bay’ will be delivered in January and February 2012 and have been designed to be the most versatile vessels available in the market. They will both be ready for Houlder’s TAS system and the ‘Caernarfon Bay’ will be fitted with the first production TAS unit. The soft mounted superstructure will feature a new modular internal arrangement so that the entire configuration of the saloon can be adapted between projects and between the requirements of construction and O&M. Both vessels are capable of carrying 3 x 10ft containers and up to 10 tonnes of cargo. Both are fitted with extensive specifications and are both powered by twin MTU 10V2000M72 marine engines and Ultra Dynamics UJ575 water jets for speeds in excess of 27 knots.

The final vessel in this order is the first example of the new design 24m. The ‘Cemlyn Bay’ will be delivered following the Seawork exhibition in May 2012. The extensively tested and modelled vessel will offer new levels of crew comfort and versatility to the industry as well as being fettled with all of the latest technology. Again, the vessel will be fitted with Houlder’s TAS access system and will be able to carry up to 2 x 10ft containers. The vessel is to be powered by twin MTU 12V2000M72 1400hp marine engines and Rolls Royce A3-56 water jet units for speeds in excess of 28 knots.

Turbine Transfers Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Holyhead Towing Company Ltd. based in Holyhead, Anglesey. Turbine Transfers operate a large fleet of South Boats built catamarans as well as a small number of other craft for servicing and transportation of technicians of offshore wind farms. The South Boats build fleet cover a range between 12m and 20m and these additional seven craft will support their activities through 2012.

Capt. Mark Meade, the Managing Director of Turbine Transfers Ltd. says “We’re very pleased to have been able to build on the relationship we’ve developed with South Boats over the last 4 years, where we have worked together to improve the boats for the customers and to develop new designs and new ideas. We look forward to continuing our partnership in the future as we face the greater demands of working further offshore and in more adverse weather conditions.”

South Boats Special Projects Ltd. of Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK, is the largest builders of offshore wind farm support vessels in the world. With 62 vessels in service or in build within the sector with 14 operators, extensive operational and development experience has been gained on over 25 projects in 7 countries. With an extensive portfolio of designs from 15m to over 30m, South Boats develop vessels from the industry for the industry.

Ben Colman, Technical Director of South Boats says “We are delighted to confirm this contract and extend our relationship with Turbine Transfers Ltd. With 25 vessels owned by one client this makes a clear statement to the industry and we are already working with Turbine Transfers on a new range of craft to tackle the requirements of Round 3 projects. This £13m order is a significant milestone for South Boats and we look forward to working with Turbine Transfers in the build of these and future vessels. South Boats vessels have always been designed to offer the industry versatile and highly capable catamarans with excellent sea-keeping and class leading build quality. South Boats continues to develop new designs and has recently tested a new fine entry, high raft model and a semi-SWATH model alongside our conventional hull to compare sea-keeping and motions. With very different results depending upon wave pattern it is hoped that in the future the different concepts will suit the different requirements of each offshore wind farm project to offer minimum downtime and maximum time at sea”.

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Source: South Boats Special Projects Ltd. , July 15, 2011;