French builder moves into windfarm boats

In a market that is experiencing rapid growth in Europe and soon in the rest of the world, the French shipbuilding and ship repair group hopes to be able to win a market share which will complete the range of its activities in France and abroad. The company participated in the Seawork exhibition in Southampton last month.

Piriou is aiming not only to build ships but also to offer its expertise in In-Service Support (ISS), which allows owners to guarantee the availability of their fleets.

Piriou has entered into a contract with naval architects BMT Nigel Gee, a company vastly experienced in the design of wind farm support vessels.

“This choice responds to the goal of rapid action that we have set ourselves, enabling us to offer ships to this rapidly growing market as soon as 2013, says Pascal Piriou. “And, we do not plan to reinvent the wheel. We have chosen proven designs which have proved themselves in ships that have been built and are already in operation, and the feedback from which guarantees a perfectly adapted ship”, says Pascal PIRIOU.

BMT Nigel Gee provides a catamaran hull design providing optimal stability and comfort when landing technicians on the wind farm operating zones. It promises excellent manoeuvrability achieved by means of a dual hydrojet propulsion system. The proven efficiency and reliability of the fender system on the bow allows safe and effective transfer operations.

The construction of the first two units has begun and the vessels will be available for operation in Europe at the end of 2013. Piriou and BMT Nigel Gee are working in parallel to finalise the development of the design of the 24m WFSV model.