SeaZip Offshore Service has acquired two crew transfer vessels (CTVs) from Wind Energy Marine, bringing the total number of CTVs in its fleet to six.
Jan Reier Arends, Owning Manager of SeaZip, said the purchase of the two vessels was a price-competitive alternative to new vessel building projects.
“Given the acceleration that the offshore wind industry is facing this year, we have been exploring options to expand our fleet and services for some time,” said Jan Reier Arends .
“ With the doubling of aluminium prices and the long delivery times of equipment, newbuilding’s are is currently hardly profitable. So, this is a great opportunity for us to deliver the offshore energy industry more service, capacity, and flexibility.”
The CTVs, previously known as WEM 1 and WEM 2 and soon to operate as SeaZip 7 and SeaZip 8, can carry 24 passengers and are equipped with jet propulsion which, according to Jan Reier Arends, will get them deployed soon since jet propulsion makes them optimally deployable in shallow water.
The 24.7-metres long and 8-metres wide vessels were built in 2018 and are currently sailing under the UK flag.
The expansion of the SeaZip fleet corresponds with an upgrade of the CTVs SeaZip 3 to SeaZip 6, which are currently being converted from 12 to 24 PAX vessels.
According to the company, the decision of SeaZip Offshore Service’s management to double the passenger capacity was prompted by the dynamics of the market.