HMNB Portsmouth welcomes Typhoon 3000
SMS Group firm Overwater has won a contract to support KBS Marine with the operation and maintenance of a brand new 3000T jack-up barge – the Typhoon 3000.
Overwater, which is permanently based at HM Naval Base Portsmouth, will work to commercialise the asset via commercial chargers when it is not needed within the naval base.
Typhoon 3000 is a Ravestein platform of the following dimensions; 60m LOA, 28m beam, 800T on deck crawler crane capacity, 3000T lift capacity, with 52m spud legs. It is an extremely capable mutli-role semi-submersible jack-up barge that can also be used as a dry dock, lift platform or transport barge.
The asset has numerous commercial marine applications and will be homeported in the Solent.
Dave Chaffers, general manager for the SMS Group, said: “The principle purpose of the barge is to obviously support the Royal Navy, but by working in close partnership with the various stakeholders we look forward to commercialising the jack-up not only within the Solent but also within UK and European Waters.
“She offers immense capability to the marine civils, dry dock and commercial refit and repair markets; not to mention the heavy lift and ports and harbours sectors.
“As a jack-up she’s definitely a ‘premium’ solution and tremendously capable.”
Chris Norman, SMS Group managing director, said: “The JUB is a unique piece of kit, but perhaps more importantly our commercial offering is somewhat unique too.
“Not only can we now support programmes of works that involve either heavy lift or dry dock operations, we can obviously support the works to be undertaken onboard the platform.
“Our core engineering capability is now fully mobile; this places us uniquely in the market, with a turn-key technical and engineering solution very much available to civil, defence and commercial customers alike.”
“The Typhoon 3000 give us shiplift capacity, in the Solent, up to 3000T,” said Chaffers. “It also gives us the ability to move the platform, as required, to anyone of our eight sites. This capability is unrivalled in the UK, and now available for charter via Overwater. Our focus now is on managed, turn-key, engineering solutions.”
