WindCat 101 goes to work on the farm
WindCat 101’s excellent seakeeping expands the operational window in adverse weather conditions.
WindCat 101 is the latest addition to the fleet of WindCat Workboats, which operate out of bases in both Lancashire UK and Ijmuiden in the Netherlands.
It is one of three new vessels taken into service by WindCat Workboats in May of this year and the first in the Mark 4 series. This new type of vessel has been developed to fulfil the need for a vessel with a higher speed, larger carrying capacity and extended operational range, giving increased accessibility to offshore assets.
Extensive trials at several different European offshore wind farms have shown that WindCat 101 can significantly increase accessibility because of the design’s excellent seagoing capabilities in adverse weather conditions and the capability to transfer up to 45 passengers safely in seas in excess of 2m.
The design of the vessel incorporates WindCat Workboat’s experience gained over the last 9 years of operation and over 350,000 transfers. In addition to transferring personnel and equipment, the vessel can also be used to transfer fuel, to support diving operations, as a survey vessel, standby vessel or emergency response vessel.
WindCat 101 has a length of 27m LOA and beam of 9m. This gives space to carry a 10 ft or 20 ft container on the foredeck, a 10 ft container on the aft deck, and enough space in the accommodation for 45 passengers.
The accommodation is specially designed to provide space and comfort for technicians transiting to offshore wind farms. The passenger space has a seating arrangement which can be adjusted to the client’s requirements and is equipped with three televisions, DVD, Playstation and wireless satellite internet.
WindCat 101 is the first vessel of this size built for the offshore industry under the High Speed Craft Code, classed as a passenger vessel. This means it is built and equipped to a very high safety standard, which, together with ISM certification, ensures a high level of safety for its passengers and protection for the environment.
The vessel is designed to deliver low fuel consumption, incorporating four V8 MTU M72 engines driving two variable pitch propellers. The vessel reaches a top speed of over 30 knots and has a high level of redundancy with four separate engine rooms and a fully doubled up bridge.
After very successful trials on several offshore wind farms, where the vessel has performed above expectation and received very positive feedback, it started work last month with operations on the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm, currently the largest under construction in the world. Situated some 25 km off the coast of Suffolk UK, the joint venture of RWE Npower Renewables and Scottish & Southern Energy will feature 140 Siemens 3.6MW wind turbines delivering enough power for 530,000 homes.
WindCat Workboats continues to develop, build and operate offshore crew transfer vessels to fit the requirements of the industry, with 27 vessels in operation, ongoing newbuildings and several designs in development.
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