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Massive cargo decks fore and aft can accommodate up to 10,000kg of tools, equipment and spares, and the Guerra crane on the fore deck has a lifting capacity of 1,025kg at 6.9m, which caters for long reach loading and unloading. Cranes can also be deployed for camera surveys and grab sampling.
WAVECRAFT JOINS THE FLEET The WaveCraft is manufactured by Umoe Mandal in Norway, and is considered an industry ‘game-changer’ by those who have been exposed to this remarkable vessel. The first vessel was chartered by Dong Energy for use at its Borkum Riffgrund windfarm off the coast of Germany, and Tidal Transit has taken delivery of the second one, Umoe Firmus, for which the company will be the UK operator under a ship management contract with Umoe Unda.
The WaveCraft is a Surface Effect Ship (SES) which uses an air cushion between its catamaran hulls to lift 80% of the vessel out of the water. The small draught that this creates provides the vessel with easy access to ports, and enables it to travel at high speeds [40 knots] whilst maintaining a low fuel consumption that gives it a range of more than 700 nautical miles.
Importantly, managing the pressure of the air cushion according to wave height allows for smoother voyages and provides a greatly increased opportunity for access to turbines – up to wave heights of 2.5 metres.
The company will operate the Umoe Firmus alongside its existing fleet of PTVs and has finalised the first UK charter agreement for this exciting new vessel, having entered into an initial six-month agreement with Statkraft, with a longer term extension option, to use the vessel to transport its O&M turbine technicians into the 88 turbine Sheringham Shoal Offshore Windfarm.
This is located from 9-17 miles off the coast of North Norfolk in the southern North Sea, and Umoe Firmus is operating from the port of Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk where the windfarm’s O&M base is located.
A DEVELOPING INDUSTRY Leo Hambro, Tidal Transit’s Commercial Director believes the offshore wind industry will change considerably over the next decade, saying: “Offshore wind is a young industry which is developing very rapidly, and announcements such as £2.5 billion confirmed funding for the East Anglia One offshore windfarm, stimulate further growth and development throughout the supply chain.
“Vessels are of course a vital element of this supply chain, and vessel design and technology will need to continue to develop in order to meet developers’ and operators’ stringent HSE policies and demanding financial models.
“Our plans for the development and growth of Tidal Transit will ensure that our fleet can always offer ‘the right vessel for the job’.”
Tidal Transit
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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