Experience at sea incorporated into STB12

The STBs have been particularly busy in their first year. Crew and charter have offered constructive suggestions for improvement for the next generation.

An important element in the offshore wind turbine concept that Siemens and ESVAGT have developed for the parks, the Butendiek and the Baltic 2, is the specially developed Safe Transfer Boats, STB12.

The STB12s, the ’Wind 1’ and the ’Wind 2’ combine the safe transfer of technicians to the turbines with expeditions back to shore, which the STB12 as an independently approved vessel can undertake. And the STB12 has been used frequently for both functions during the first year that the ’Esvagt Froude’ has been at work in Butendiek and the ’Esvagt Faraday’ has serviced Baltic 2.

“The vessels and the opportunities the STBs offer have been truly embraced,” says Bjarne Mikkelsen, Senior Service Manager:

“They use the vessels far more than we had expected. In just one quarter, they have reached the level of use that was anticipated for a whole year. That tells us that Siemens likes the STB12 and the advantages that it can offer,” says Bjarne Mikkelsen.

Experiences in the next generation

Bjarne Mikkelsen and Ole Andersen from Special Services worked together to develop the STB12 – and they continue to do so:

“We have taken the development of the STB12 as far as we can from onshore,” says Ole Andersen:

“From here on, it is the day-to-day work at sea that can improve them, and that is where we are now – incorporating the experience gained into the next generation of the vessel,” says Ole Andersen.

Special Services has received a good deal of valuable input from daily life with the STB12s, both from ESVAGT’s own crew and from Siemens. These experiences are continually integrated as improvements to the ’Wind 1’ and ’Wind 2’ wherever possible, and will be integrated into the next two vessels built at the Esbjerg Ship Yard; ’Wind 3’ and ’Wind 4’, due to act as reserve and STB12 on contract to MHI Vestas respectively.

“On the technical side, the changes are minimal as the vessels receive nothing but praise. They are easy to manoeuvre and comfortable. Suggestions have been around improvements in operational safety and safety in general, and these have been taken on board,” says Bjarne Mikkelsen.

The ’Wind 3’ will be delivered in December and the ’Wind 4’ will be delivered in April 2017.