UK: Tidal Transit Signs 18 Month Sheringham Shoal Contract

In an exciting renewable energy supply chain development, Tidal Transit Limited has been awarded an 18 month contract by Scira Offshore Energy Limited for its latest personnel transfer vessel, Tia Elizabeth, to service the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm.

Announcing this contract, Tidal Transit’s Commercial Director Leo Hambro said:

“Tia Elizabeth only arrived in the UK on 1 September 2013, having successfully completed sea trials following her launch from the shipyard in Southern Spain. An 18 month contract is a huge step forward for our company as it provides confidence for our ambitious investment programme in additional vessels.

 “Although our first two vessels, Ginny Louise and Eden Rose have been in constant use in the southern North Sea since their arrival in the UK in early 2012, they have been working on short term, typically six month, charter contracts. Up until now, this has been normal for newcomers in this young offshore wind industry; however, longer term contracts are essential if companies are to make the substantial investment needed in additional purpose-designed vessels to support the planned growth of offshore wind farms in UK coastal waters.”

Eden Rose has been on charter working on the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm on short-term charter contracts since May 2012, initially transporting construction workers building the 88 turbine wind farm to site; since this power plant was completed late last year she has been transferring technicians to the wind farm for scheduled maintenance activities.

Around Easter this year, the sea swell caused by the rough March and April weather conditions also resulted in her sister vessel Ginny Louise being called into service.

This highlighted the advantages of the use of Tidal Transit’s rugged, high specification vessels on a day-to-day basis in the notoriously unpredictable southern North Sea; further trials then followed over the summer months, the success of which have resulted in this new, long term vessel contract for Tia Elizabeth.

 Jason Halsey, General Manager of the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm, said: “Planned maintenance is essential to the efficiency of all offshore wind farms. We have turbine maintenance technicians based from our O&M Centre, Wind Farm Place near Wells-next-the-Sea, and we need to be able to transport them safely to their place of work – that is the Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm site, which covers 35 sq kms between 17-23 kms off the North Norfolk coast.”

He concluded: “I am confident that increased accessibility to the wind farm afforded by the use of Tidal Transit’s personnel transfer vessels will play a key role in the delivery of our strategic wind farm maintenance programmes.”

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Press release, September 25, 2013; Image: ni4b