Dalby Offshore and Alicat Workboats have signed a contract for the construction of an Alicat 23m Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV).
The Dalby Don , which is set to be delivered in July 2015 is a sister vessel to the Dalby Swale delivered during 2014 that has worked on the Greater Gabbard and London Array Offshore Wind Farms.
This will strengthen Dalby’s current wind farm fleet, and it will offer a more flexible diverse range of high specification vessels.
“ The Dalby Swale has already proved itself as an excellent addition to our growing fleet of CTV’s, and the response from clients and crews alike has been nothing less than immensely positive. Therefore the decision to work with our trusted partners at Alicat Workboats to build further vessels was a relatively easy decision for me,” said Stuart McNiven, Managing Director of Dalby Offshore Services Ltd .
Colin Palmer, Senior Skipper of Dalby Offshore Services Ltd said: “As full time master on-board The Dalby Swale, Alicat Workboats have truly pulled out the stops of this fantastic 23m CTV. I have skippered numerous Alicat built vessels over the years but this is the finest, most practical, comfortable and fastest of the vessels with a maximum speed of 32kts. Powered by twin MAN V12 1400hp with Rolls Royce FF550 water jet propulsion this makes the vessel very manoeuvrable with the ROCS vector stick making challenging conditions a pleasure, with noise levels only reaching 55db in the main saloon it is no wonder the passengers enjoy being on-board the vessel with the entertainment system and the on-board facilities.”
Steve Thacker, General Manager, Alicat Workboats Ltd said: “Commitment to custom technical innovation and the highest possible build quality is what , we believe, will continue to differentiate British boat builders from competitors across Europe and further afield in the developing Asian market. The UK continues to be the strongest market for offshore wind and with focus shifting to Round 3 requirements we have listened to our clients and the industry to develop a specification that balances the needs of our operators and their clients with capital purchase price.
“We have a strong relationship with Dalby Offshore, who already operate six Alicat build CTV’s and are proud to be selected to build this seventh vessel. We are working on further projects that we hope to announce early in the New Year.”
Press release; Image: Dalby Offshore