Twin Axe twins christened at Harlingen

The vessels will be deployed to work on the completion stage of a large wind farm in the North Sea, 90 km northwest of the island of Borkum. The offshore windfarm is being built by the German BARD Group, which will charter the vessels from their owner, SeaZip Offshore Service, a sister company of JR Shipping Group in Harlingen.

SeaZip 1 and SeaZip 2, were built by Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands, which developed the FCS 2610 Twin Axe Bow vessel type, number of which have already been put into service. Their speed and seaworthiness, combined with economical fuel consumption and a high degree of stability make them a good choice for the rough weather conditions they will encounter in the North Sea. While primarily built for the purpose of transporting personnel, the ships can also carry freight.

SeaZip Offshore Service BV was founded in mid-2010 by Jan Reier Arends and Sander Schakelaar, managing directors/owners of JR Shipping. The enterprise is integrated into a full-service shipping company, enabling the provision of any desired cluster of maritime services, ranging from ship development and financing to operational management, including crew provision.

In 2010 the BARD Group started building a windfarm some 60km from the coast, approximately 90km northwest of the island of Borkum, at a depth of 40m, where 80 wind turbines of the self-developed ‘BARD 5.0’ type will be installed. By the end of 2013, the windfarm will provide a daily electricity supply of 400MW, sufficient electricity for 400,000 households.

SeaZip Offshore Service’s contract with the BARD Group will take effect in early April, 2013, soon after today’s christening ceremony.