Offshore construction revolution at Seawork
Seawork 2014 exhibitor Mojo Maritime and Germanys Hammonia Reederei GmbH & Co are to finance and build a completely new class of vessels set to “revolutionise” the offshore construction sector.
The Hi Flo 4 has been designed to operate in extreme tidal races and significantly reduce weather delays and risks. As a result, Mojo says it has the potential to reduce current installation costs by up to 80%.
Steve Jerny, project co-ordinator, Mojo Maritime, told Maritime Journal: “This vessel is a game changer for the tidal power industry because it doubles the speed of other dynamic positioning offshore construciton vessels currently on the market.”
He added that the Hi Flo 4 will not be a solo vessel, but the first in its class.
The twin hull vessel has also been designed to allow rapid operations and maintenance intervention, independent of the state of the tide, to dramatically increase project yields and reduce operations and maintenance costs.
It will operate using dynamic positioning in currents of up to 10 knots in tidal streams as opposed to most DP vessels which operate at four to five knots. This is thanks to four Voith Schneider Propellers (VSPs).
The company said its design was inspired by Mojo’s work with Bauer on its BSD-3000 subsea drill and provides a safe platform for all drilling operations.
Consequently, the vessel also has the potential to operate across a wide range of offshore construction roles including offshore wind, cable laying and trenching and subsea oil and gas interventions.
As part of the agreement with Hammonia, Mojo will provide specialist offshore engineering and operations expertise.
The two companies are now working with other Technology Strategy Board project partners to appoint a shipyard and secure the first charter for the new vessel class.
Construction could begin in late 2014. The vessel has a build time of 18 to 20 months so could be completed in late 2015 or early 2016.
