Press release -
SOVs off to a good start
The SOVs, the ‘Esvagt Froude’ and the ‘Esvagt Faraday’ are well underway with offshore wind farm duties.
ESVAGT’s latest new builds, the SOVs ‘Esvagt Froude’ and ‘Esvagt Faraday’, are not just new vessels, they are also a completely new concept in servicing offshore wind farms and mark a new approach to jobs within new markets.
The vessels will service offshore wind farms and although these farms are not yet operational, both the ‘Esvagt Froude’ and ‘Esvagt Faraday’ are well underway gaining their first working experiences.
The ‘Esvagt Froude’ was due to work on the Baltic II in the Baltic Sea for Siemens Wind Power. However, as the farm was not yet finished when the vessel was delivered, the ‘Esvagt Froude’ has been working on another assignment at Westermost Rough; a farm under construction off the coast of Grimsby in the English sector.
“Many of the assignments at Westermost Rough are similar to those we will be working on for Baltic II,” says Ib Hansen, Head of Commercial for ESVAGT:
“The farm is under construction and we have been busy from day one. It has been really good to practise transferring turbine technicians from ship to WTG with both the “Walk-to-Work” gangway system and the Safe Transfer Boats we have on board, the ESVAGT STB 7B and the ESVAGT STB 12A. We have not yet had the opportunity to test transfer methods in very harsh weather but we have already gained good initial experience in working in heavy winds,” he says.
Praise due to the crew
The ‘Esvagt Faraday’ should have started working for the offshore wind farm, Butendiek off the coast of Sild but here too the vessel was ready before the farm. The ‘Esvagt Faraday’ has therefore been assigned to the Borkum Riffgrund in the German sector of the North Sea where another offshore wind farm is under construction.
This has also given valuable experience in both transfers and cooperation with the customer. With up to 40 technicians living on board the vessel, ESVAGT has shown that it can be a good host and have its customer close by.
“Our crew needs to have a different mind-set when the customer is on board with them. They need to cooperate closely – as we do here. The feedback from our customer has been positive: They have praised us for both our operational level and for their stay on board. We are especially pleased that the crew’s skills, professionalism and dedication to their work have been recognised,” says Ib Hansen.
Facts
The ‘Esvagt Froude’ has been chartered in for Siemens Wind Power for five years with an option for a further five years. The ‘Esvagt Faraday’ has been chartered for ten years with an option for a further five years.
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ESVAGT is a dedicated provider of safety and support at sea, founded on an experienced and well-trained offshore crew and unmatched rescue capabilities.
We support the offshore Oil & Gas industries with a wide range of specialized services: Standby, Emergency Response and Resque Vessels (ERRV), Oil spill response, Firefighting, Tanker assists, Rig moves, Supply services and Interfield transfer of cargo and personnel.
In 2010, ESVAGT brought the dedicated offshore wind Service Operation Vessels (SOV) to the market. The SOVs provide accommodation for up to 40 technicians, storage for small turbine parts and a workshop, plus personnel and equipment transfer capabilities by either Walk-to-Work gangway system or Safe Transfer Boats.
ESVAGT was founded in 1981 and has a fleet of more than 40 vessels and more than 900 employees on- and offshore.
