Bibby Marine Services Ltd, part of the Bibby Line Group’s portfolio of companies, has signed a contract with Dutch shipbuilder Damen for a purpose-built Service Operations Vessel (SOV) to serve the offshore wind market.
The new vessel, called Bibby WaveMaster 1 , represents the first collaboration of its kind between the two companies.
Stephen Blaikie , Chief Executive Officer of Bibby Marine Services, said: “The aim is to enable offshore wind operators to work more efficiently, more safely and in maximum comfort, for periods of up to 30 days at a time.
“With technicians on standby in the field 24/7, wind farm operators can act immediately to rectify expensive outages, even in the toughest of weather conditions.”
Bibby WaveMaster 1 is a custom-designed 90m LOA (Length Overall) SOV, built on a stable DP-2 (Dynamic Positioning) platform, with a motion compensated access system (Walk to Work) and a Comfort Class 2 standard accommodation comprising 60 individual ensuite berths. Equipment will be transferred with a heave compensated offshore-rated knuckle boom crane, Blaikie explained.
“With significant growth expected in offshore wind over the coming years, Bibby WaveMaster 1 represents our first step toward becoming a major player in the offshore wind access and accommodation sector,” Blaikie added .
Bibby WaveMaster 1 is being built at Damen’s Shipyards Galati in Romania and is expected to be launched in mid-2017.
Arnout Damen , Chief Commercial Officer of the Damen Shipyards Group, said: “It’s a pleasure to work with Bibby Marine Services on the development of this new vessel. The Bibby Line Group has a proud reputation in the maritime world and we are confident that this vessel will help to maintain and further this. The offshore wind industry is developing and this brings with it fresh challenges. We have worked closely together to design this vessel specifically with these in mind. We look forward to continuing to build on our relationship in the future.”