Fitting out of the STB7 will be done by ESVAGT

One of the big game changers in ESVAGT’s Service Operation Vessel (SOV) concept for offshore wind farms has been ESVAGT’s unique Safe Transfer Boats (STB), which are used for transferring turbine technicians safely from the mother ship to the turbines.

The STBs are the further development of ESVAGT’s many years of experience in building Fast Rescue Boats (FRB). The continual implementation of design experience that has characterised the development of the FRBs has also been used on the STBs. This is how ESVAGT incorporates its seafaring experience into continual product improvement.

“It is also one of the reasons why ESVAGT has chosen to fit out STB7 numbers 4 and 5 itself. The two boats are now on board the ‘Esvagt Mercator’, a newly built SOV that will service MHI Vestas in the offshore wind farms, Belwind 1 and Nobelwind”, says Søren Westphal, Service Manager for ESVAGT:

“We have gained valuable experience from STB7 operations for MHI Vestas on the ’Esvagt Supporter’ that we can incorporate into the design. We know how the STBs work and we understand the tasks they need to perform. This means that we can be even sharper at matching the needs that they must fulfil,” says Søren Westphal.

In addition to implementing the experiences gained, keeping development in-house is also important:

“No-one knows STBs better than we do because we designed them and built them ourselves. And when the STBs need a yearly survey, it will be done in our workshop. This is why there is a valuable synergy to be gained by fitting and equipping them ourselves,” says Søren Westphal.