Norwegian boat builder Maritime Partner AS has signed a contract with the Spanish shipyard Astilleros Gondan for the delivery of four boats which will be stationed onboard two new Service Operation Vessels (SOV) working for the offshore wind power industry.
The SOV’s are ordered by the Norwegian ship owner Østensjø Rederi to service DONG Energy’s two wind farms offshore UK.
The contract has a total scope of four boats; two work boats and two fast rescue crafts (FRC). The first two vessels will be delivered in September 2017 and the next two will be delivered in May 2018.
The wind farm work boats are a new concept developed for transporting service technicians and cargo from the motherships to the wind turbines. The design is named ALUSAFE 1150 WF (Wind Farm.) The rescue boats are of Maritime Partners’ WEEDO 700 FRC design.
“We have worked towards this market for about two years with focus on developing designs together with operators in the industry. This is a strategically important market and we are pleased to finally see the results of our efforts,” said Sindre Kleive, Area Sales Manager for Maritime Partner AS.
Østensjø Rederi had their breakthrough in the wind power industry last October, when they signed a contract with Danish energy giant DONG Energy for charter of a new specialized ship of Rolls-Royce UT 540 WP Design. The ship will be used for maintenance and service of wind turbines on the Race Bank offshore wind farm which is located about 17 nautical miles off the coast of Norfolk, England. Commencement date is set for 1 September 2017.
The second ship from Østensjø Rederi will function as a service-vessel in the Hornsea Project One, a 1.2GW wind farm located about 75 nautical miles off the coast of Yorkshire, England. The 81-metre long vessel will be delivered in the third quarter of 2018.
Maritime Partner will deliver one ALUSAFE 1150 WF and one FRC to each ship.
”This contract with Østensjø Rederi is a milestone in our 22-year long history,” said Gisle Anderssen, Sales and Marketing Director of Maritime Partner.
“Being able to win strategically important contracts in new market segments is a sign that our boats are associated with high quality, and we are proud that our customers bring our boats into new markets.”
Photos: Maritime Partners