Four Damen fast crew suppliers

The first three Twin Axe FCS 2610 vessels being built at Damen Shipyards, Singapore, will be delivered to the UK’s Maritime Craft Services (Clyde) Ltd (MCS) in early May. MCS ordered these new vessels, just months after taking delivery of its first two catamarans.

The vessels will be deployed in supporting offshore wind farms and in maintenance activities. MCS operates a 19 strong fleet of workboats and already has several Damen vessels including Multi Cats and Shoalbusters.

Mr Dirk Kuijt, CEO, MCS, said: “The revolutionary Twin Axe Catamaran design pierces smoothly through the waves, reducing slamming to a minimum which makes it very comfortable for the crew and its passengers. With the usual high standard of Damen Shipyards’ finishing, the FCS 2610 is proven to be very reliable and more than capable of doing the job it is designed and intended for. “

Meanwhile, the fourth vessel, the Thunderbird, is bound for the Cornish renewable contractor, Marineco. The company was the first customer to buy one of these vessels nearly two and a half years ago and this will be its fourth.

Siemens will be deploying Thunderbird off the west coast of England, where it will be used to perform installation and maintenance work for Walney Offshore Windfarms.

The Twin Axe FCS 2610, which measures 26m x 10m, has capacity for transporting 12 technicians. It has a maximum speed of 26 knots with a range of 1,200nm. It can be used to deliver cargo to platforms and carry out crew transfers to and from the turbine.

Damen will be introducing the FCS 2008 in the summer of 2013. It says that its smaller size, lower fuel consumption and price will make this vessel a strong competitor for other makes of comparable size.