South Boats secures £28m sales at Seawork
MPI Workboats Ltd confirmed its order for two more South Catamaran Wind Farm Service Vessels at Seawork 2011.
South Boats Special Projects Ltd had an exceptionally strong Seawork 2011, confirming orders for 15 wind farm support vessels during the event with a combined value in excess of £28m.
The Isle of Wight based company, which has quickly become the largest builder of offshore wind farm service vessels (WFSVs) in the world, further enhanced Seawork’s reputation as a place where business is done by placing an order with MTU worth more than £2.5m for 18 engines to power nine wind farm boats.
South Boats’ technical director Ben Colman showed his enthusiasm when saying, “Seawork has become the leading marine renewable supply chain exhibition. Our suppliers and customers now come here. The middle day of the exhibition was the busiest day at any exhibition anywhere I’ve ever been to and any day at Seawork is 50 times better than any other exhibition anywhere else.”
Among the orders announced at Seawork is a pair of South Catamaran 19m WFSVs for Seacat Services Ltd, a new company founded by Ian and Nia Baylis which has investment and support from a Dutch private investor with extensive offshore experience. Seacat Services Ltd has ambitious expansion plans. Its first two boast will be built at South Boats’ new facility in Cowes and will be delivered in May and June of next year, with the second vessel to be exhibited at Seawork 2012.
Both will be built to DNV 1A1 HSLC R2 Wind Farm Service 1 class and UK MCA Category 1 flag. Twin MTU 10V2000M72 marine diesels rated 1.205 mhp will drive Ultra Dynamics UJ575 waterjets through ZF gears for sprints speeds to 27 knots. This is the first design to benefit from extensive motion data captured from existing vessels at various wind farm projects. The vessels are also designed to be capable of accepting the Houlder TAS access system and can accommodate three 10’ containers on deck.
MPI Workboats Ltd signed for a pair of South Catamaran 17m WFSVs to be delivered in February and June of next year, with the second vessel to be exhibited at Seawork 2012. They will be the fourth and fifth of the new 17m class and will be built to MCA Workboat Code Category 2. Twin 800 mhp Scania DI16 43m diesels driving Ultra Dynamics UJ452 waterjets through Twin Disc gears will provide a sprint speed of 25 knots.
MPI Workboats is a wholly owned subsidiary of North Yorkshire based MPI Offshore Ltd and already operates six South Catamaran vessels.
Turbine Transfers Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anglesey based Holyhead Towing Company , already operates a large fleet of South Boats WFSVs and other dedicated craft. At Seawork its order for a further seven newbuilds was announced. Five will be built at South Boats’ Cowes facility and two will be subcontracted to Buckie Shipyard.
The order is comprised of two South Catamaran 16m WFSVs, two South Catamaran 18m WFSVs, two South Catamaran 19m WFSVs, and a single South Catamaran 24m WFSV. When delivered between October of this year and May 2012, Turbine Transfers will have a fleet of 25 South Catamarans. The first example of the new design 24m WFSV, Cemlyn Bay, will be fitted with the Houlder TAS access system and will be capable of carrying two 10’ containers. Powered by twin MTU 12V2000M72 engines rated at 1,400 hp and Rolls-Royce A3-56 waterjets, the vessel will be capable of speeds in excess of 28 knots.
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