Finland: Mobimar 18 Wind Completes Sea Trials

Transfer /windfarm service vessel Mobimar 18 Wind, after it was launched on February 27th, has passed all the conventional sea trials and in addition extra tests from towing 20m by 50m barge to hanging from a crane test. Mobimar 18 Wind was designed and built by Mobimar Ltd. in Turku, Finland and classed by Bureau Veritas, DNV or equivalent.

The vessel measures 18 m in length, the beam is 8,5 m and the work deck is much bigger than the deck of a monohull. The large deck space can be used for transport of maintenance equipment and as a workspace for work that cannot be carried out at the wind turbines.

To prevent hazardous situations at the wind turbine and enable a safe disembarkation, Mobimar invented a unique, intelligent gripper system in the bow. While others have to push with full throttle against the wind turbine structure to stay put, this vessel can approach the turbine from either side and run idle during disembarkation. The hydraulics keep the landing platform in position and the water jets in the side hulls make the vessel easily maneuvered. The Mobimar 18 Wind trimaran vessel is also much less sensitive for rolling and slamming than monohulls and catamarans.

The slim hulls offer less water resistance, which leads to lower fuel consumption. This is emphasized by the fact that while the CTV trimaran has one main engine rating to 750 kw, a catamaran has two similar engines. Together these features reduce the fuel consumption costs by more than 200 € per hour. The innovative Mobimar 18 Wind has undergone extensive model tests at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.

The benefits of the trimaran hull are:

small water resistance, an even and significantly wider work deck area compared with a mono hull vessel of same length, very soft and good sea-keeping properties even in harsh sea conditions. Because of these benefits the vessel is also very suitable for oil recovery, sea surveys and transportation of passengers.

Mobimar Ltd was founded in 1993. The company with Its business ideas makes special workboats, tourist submarines and turn-key deliveries to the shipbuilding industry. During the recent years the company have invested in development of new types of multi-hull vessels.

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Offshore WIND staff, May 11, 2012; Image: Mobimar