New vessel for tidal energy projects in UK’s Northern Isles
Damen Shipyards Group delivered a MultiCat 2613 on30 April 2015 to Orkney, Scotland-basedchartering company Scotmarine. This powerful 50-tonne bollard pull vessel has a large crane and will replace the stock vessel MultiCat Orcadia Scotmarine purchased three years ago.The hull of the new vessel was in stock and customised for the clientbearlier this year. The vessel will be used for offshore tidal activities in Scotland’s Northern Isles.
Scotmarine will deploy the new vessel in developing underwater tidal energy farms for Scot Renewables Tidal Power. The Scot Renewables floating tidal technology uses low-cost Multi Cat workboat vessels for installation, maintenance and decommissioning to save tidal developers’ installation costs.
New MultiCat design
The experience Scotmarine gained with the first vessel was instrumental in the development of the design for this new vessel. Damen Sales Manager UK Casper Vermeulen comments: “It’s a bulky, beamy boat that offers excellent stability and lifting capacity.”This robust Multi Cat is strong enough to pull and position underwater tidal turbines in heavy currents. Managing Director Damen Marine Services (DMS) Rik van Prooijen adds: “A MultiCat has to drop and embed heavy anchors in the seabed and connect turbines to these anchors. You need a powerful vessel to do so.”
Damen supplies Northern Isles with MultiCats
For the offshore tidal industry in the Northern Isles, Damen has delivered over the past five years a number ofother Multi Cats now in operation. Recently a MultiCat 2712, measuring 27 metres in length and 12 metres in beam, with a maximum bollard pull of 35 tonnes, was delivered to GreenMarine Energy Support Services.Other Damen Multi Cats include the 2613 and 2611, examples of which areoperated by Delta Marine in the Shetland Isles.
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.
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