Kooiman to build unique support vessel for HvS

This latest addition has been specially designed to support wind farm/renewable energy projects offshore and dredging operations.

The concept for the new shallow draft vessel, which will have a powerful towing and anchorhandling performance, has been produced by the owners HvS Dredging Support and developed further in close cooperation with the builder, Scheepswerf Gebr. Kooiman BV of Zwijndrecht, which has undertaken the detailed design work. As yet there are no graphics or drawings available for publication but these will appear in MJ as soon as they become available.

Zwerver III will represent a new class of ‘support vessels’ that will be able to compete with larger anchorhandling supply/support vessels in the worldwide market. The design includes many features unique to this vessel and that make it particularly suitable for the renewable energy market. In keeping with earlier vessels produced for the company, this new addition to the fleet will have a rugged ‘pontoon style’ hull but somewhat larger, with a length of 35m, a beam of 15m and a minimum draft of 2.70m. A unique hydraulically operated bow-door will protect any deck cargo against water ingress in rough weather, a serious problem that occurs frequently on existing support vessels.

A triple screw propulsion system will be employed with three main engines generating a total of approximately 3,000kW to achieve a predicted bollard pull of 50 tons, unprecedented for a craft of this type. The addition of individual rudders and two bow thrusters and an Alphatron/Navis DP-1 dynamic positioning system will offer exceptional manoeuvrability.

Two large anchorhandling/towing winches of 100 and 200 tons line pull will be installed on deck, along with bow and stern rollers, three 15 ton tugger winches and two sets of towing pins and forks. A pair of massive 370 tons/metre cranes will be mounted, both with a maximum outreach of 20m.

Accommodation will be provided onboard for at least 12 persons.

HvS Dredging Support BV, owned by Hans and Arjan van Stee, has served many offshore and dredging contractors and their projects worldwide for over 30 years. Those projects have included a wide range of services such as anchor-handling, towing-pushing, barge handling, wind turbine access and maintenance, and assisting pipe and cable lay barges. The company has progressively upgraded the plant that it employs and current vessel Zwerver I has proven its worth in this area since 2007. When the new Zwerver III is delivered in November of this year the industry may well be offered a ‘Super Zwerver’!