The First Twin Axe Fast Crew Supplier 2610 in Groen Offshore, Guard & Support’s fleet will be christened Merel-G
Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam have a decade-long relationship with the family-run Groen Offshore, Guard & Support, having built seismic research vessels and completing a majority of their repairs in the past. On 17 July, the two parties were united again in an event marking the naming of the newly purchased Damen Twin Axe Fast Crew Supplier 2610 to be customised with offshore oil andgas standby capabilities.
Named after the 10-year old granddaughter of Groen’s Managing Director, the official handover of the Merel-
G will take place on 24 July after which the vessel will be deployed on long-term charter for a major E&P operator in the Danish part of the North Sea. The combination of superior seakeeping and the position of the wheelhouse result in the highest possible level of operability for the first Twin Axe FCS that will work in the oil and gas industry as opposed to offshore wind.
Groen Offshore, Guard & Support has over 40 years of experience in the offshore industry. Founded in 1973, with three vessels for the sport fishing and recreation business in the North Sea, Groen transitioned to the offshore industry in 1980 and is now specialised in guard and seismic support vessels –five of which were built at Maaskant. Operations were initially exclusive to the North Sea but have now expanded worldwide with a modern fleet of 27 vessels and 37-chartered vessels.
Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 32 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9, 000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 5, 000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.
Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.
Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.
For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.
In addition to ship design and shipbuilding, Damen Shiprepair & Conversion has a worldwide network of 15 repair and conversion yards with dry docks ranging up to 420 x 80 metres. Conversion projects range from adapting vessels to today’s requirements and regulations to the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1, 500 repair and maintenance jobs annually.
“Jo”
