It is with offshore wind, wave and tidal power projects in mind that Delta Marine commissioned a second Damen Multi Cat 2611, ‘Voe Jarl’, which is delivered this month. A sister ship to the very busy and highly successful ‘Voe Viking’, Voe Jarl enjoys additional refinements born of operational experience with the first boat.

Like its sister, Voe Jarl is an immensely powerful workboat, with three Cummins KTA 38MO marine diesels delivering 2,400hp at 1,800 rpm, driving three fixed pitch propellers in nozzles through Reintjes WAF 464 gearboxes to give 10 knots and 33 tons bollard pull for the 26m, 515 ton craft.

As if Voe Viking’s two Effer 180.000 3S deck cranes were not powerful enough, Voe Jarl is equipped with two Effer 200.000 3S models for even greater lifting and handling capabilities. The new boat also adds hydraulic towing pins, wire/chain stoppers fore and aft, a heavier towing winch, additional tugger winches and two spud poles. Increased freezer and chill room capacity has been added to extend days at sea.

There is huge specialist plant available to install offshore wind farms but very little in the way of suitable workboats available to maintain them. With the UK Government’s Energy White Paper last month promising a push to harness tidal and wave power and build hundreds of new wind farms, Voe Jarl looks set to be the right vessel in the right place at the right time. Its’ more powerful cranes and capacity to have two 50 ton generators on deck at the same time gives it the ability to service wind farms on location.

The large deck capacity allows this versatile workboat to accommodate five 20ft ISO containers onboard at the same time containing equipment which can be connected to the boats power supply such as decompression chambers or accommodation modules. The vessel’s deck layout allows towing and anchor handling operations to continue with three 20ft units on deck. The 100ton anchor handling winch, big Effer cranes and rollers at bow and stern also give the vessel more than ample capability for pipeline assembly/repair and other dredging support works.

With MCA Workboat category 1 and BV unrestricted navigation class, Voe Jarl provides heated and air conditioned accommodation for six persons in three cabins, with day accommodation and facilities for 12 passengers.