Experienced marine services provider, Offshore Marine Management (OMM) has formed a partnership with leading vessel owner, Rederij Groen (RG), to bring the Offshore Renewables Industry a purpose built Service Operations Vessel (SOV) for the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) market with a versatile design.
The companies engaged Saltwater Engineering in Holland for the design of the vessel. Saltwater's team of professional naval architects provide a great wealth of marine engineering and naval architectural expertise into the design of this new concept vessel, ensuring it meets the long term operational needs of the offshore industry.
Image: OMM
The SOV has been designed based on two main principles; real time experiences during the offshore installation, maintenance and repair phases of offshore energy projects and the realisation that distances increase from base ports to wind-farms so there is a requirement to stay offshore longer. The vessels' versatility combines a new approach to offshore maintenance support which enables a proactive response to O&M tasks for both subsea and topside tasks that mitigates risk by utilising only one vessel as platform to maintain customer's whole system integrity. The vessel can deliver both top side preventative maintenance services and subsea cable repair response plans.
As the view of offshore windfarm O&M changes its aims to incorporate subsea risk to the revenues of the windfarm investors. The vessel incorporates this ideology that the windfarm is seen as both topside and subsea but all one asset.
The vessel is designed as a comfortable "platform" for optimal operation of its motion compensated gangway system for personnel transfer and for the active heave compensated deck crane operations with the support of 2 daughter craft. DP performance is guaranteed by the thrusters keeping the vessel in accurate position up to a wave height (Hs) of 2.5 m. The workshops at boat deck level allow for a proper service of the inbuilt diving spread equipment and the inbuilt ROV control and habitats. The ability to carry over 10 containers for spares and supplies to potential offshore accommodation stations will be an asset to any O&M managers.
Her accommodation is arranged such to facilitate 60 POB (crew and offshore workers), with single cabins for the SPS staff all arranged on or above the main deck. The vessel is fitted with a hospital, a fitness room, change rooms (both men and women), a large mess room, a cinema and several recreation areas for the comfort of the technicians and crew who will remain offshore reducing time to site.
The vessel is readily adaptable to support the full O&M work throughout the year, both planned and adhoc work. The back deck of the vessel is strengthened to carry spare cable for emergency repairs of infield cables whilst still providing its primary role of supporting the turbine technicians. This vessel has the endurance of 30 days offshore and will support works around turbine masts, substations platforms, topsides and subsea tasks, power, telecoms and mattress applications as contracted. This vessel is a dynamically positioned, versatile maintenance vessel and for this duty has rapid and efficient handling characteristics.
Rob Grimmond, CEO at OMM, commented, "This is the next stage of tomorrows' thinking towards installation and O&M services brought forward to today. Our first-hand experience in offshore projects and the specialist knowledge of Saltwater Engineering have provided an extensive level of insight which has allowed us to create such a purpose built design and specification.
Working many years with Rederij Groen supplying many vessels to the industry it is a natural fit partnership for the delivery of this innovative vessel and services to the industry in an effort to reduce costs and improve response and readiness times. Engaging Saltwater Engineering for the design completed the necessary skill set to bring the design to life. I look forward to seeing this vessel delivered for the future of the offshore renewables industry.''Rederij Groen added ''In the last decade Rederij Groen has made quite significant innovative steps and with this new venture , we confirm our proactive approach towards future developments in the offshore industry. This collaboration will allow Rederij Groen and OMM to grow and expand and both are excited about this new partnership and the future prospects it enables.''
The companies are working towards delivery in Q4 2017.
Source: OffshoreMM