Third German-flagged catamaran for offshore duty enters service - Christening at Borkumkai in Emden
Emden/Borkum - On 15 December 2014, a launching ceremony was held at the terminal in Emden’s outer harbour for a further Windea catamaran that is entering service under the German flag. The ship’s godmother Miranda van Laar-Prikkel, wife of co-partner Paul van Laar from IJmuiden in the Netherlands, gave the “Twin Axe Bow” type catamaran from Damen Shipyards the name “WINDEA THREE” and wished: “Safe voyages for the crew and always a handbreadth of water under the keel for the ship.” This manoeuvrable Crew Transfer and Service Vessel, CTSV for short, will be transporting both personnel and materials to the offshore wind farms.
Three operating partners have equal shares in the company Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Windea CTV Three GmbH & Co. KG. Besides Emden-based Ems Maritime Offshore GmbH (EMO), a subsidiary of AG “EMS” Group, these are SSC Wind EMEA GmbH from Wildeshausen and Van Laar Beheer BV from the Dutch town of IJmuiden. Thanks to their joint commitment, this long-standing close collaboration and the productive cooperation already achieved with the “WINDEA TWO” have now been extended even further. For these three companies, the investment in the catamaran “WINDEA THREE” means a steady continuation of their involvement in the offshore wind market segment.
“WINDEA THREE” is in fact the third newly constructed vessel in the space of 15 months. “Since the first ship came into service in September of last year, the CTSVs have not been inactive for a single day. This fact speaks both for the technical concept of the ship and for the good performance of the seafaring crew,” explained Knut Gerdes, CEO of EMO. According to Gerdes the quality of these ships and crew is also shown by the fact that, like its sister ships, it is sailing under the German flag.
Hinrich Eden, the managing partner of SSC Wind EMEA, also pointed to the smooth cooperation with Laar Beheer BV and EMO. “We have had close connections with AG “EMS” Group since 2009, and this is reflected in the partnership-based operations and successful joint ventures such as WINDEA Offshore and the helicopter activities with Northern Helicopter,” said Eden. “Small and medium-sized enterprises can only be successful on the steadily expanding international market if they continue to cluster their characteristic know-how and skills without losing their competitive qualities, such as speedy responses and their proximity to operational processes. The SME sector must remain a motor for new, globalizing markets, too,” he added.
The new vessel has a large foredeck that is some 90 square metres in size and, depending on passengers and the amount of fuel in its tank, it can accommodate between 10 and 15 tonnes of cargo. Normally, however, it is used to ferry personnel and is licensed for up to 24 service workers. In this role the ship moves its bow up to the wind turbine and lets technicians reach the service platform by means of a ladder. Trianel Windkraftwerk Borkum GmbH & Co. KG has been acquired as a customer and is chartering “WINDEA THREE” from 17.12.2014 onwards. In the future the transfer vessel will be stationed at its home port of Borkum and from here it will sail to its daily activities in the Trianel Windkraftwerk Borkum wind farm, formerly known as Borkum West 2.
What’s more, Trianel Windkraftwerk Borkum GmbH & Co. KG has already concluded further contracts with EMO for the use of additional logistical services as well as the newly developed facilities on Borkum for the operating phase of the Trianel Windkraftwerk Borkum wind farm. “We are very pleased with this collaboration,” stressed Dr Bernhard Brons, the chairman of AG “EMS” Group, and added: “Together we can make outstanding use of our synergy partnerships that have developed in the offshore wind market.”
The task of operating “WINDEA THREE” will be handled by EMO, with its major experience of such work. With this investment in the new offshore catamaran, the company is further consolidating its position in the offshore market and will continue to play a major role in supplying offshore wind farms with personnel and materials.
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Damen Shipyards was founded in 1927 and now holds a leading position in the shipbuilding industry. There have been good contacts between this company and WINDEA Offshore GmbH & Co. KG for several years. Damen not only builds ships but also invests in research. In collaboration with the University of Delft, Damen made an important contribution to the offshore sector by studying suitable ship designs. The company is based in the Dutch town of Gorinchem and currently employs 6,000 people worldwide.
The SSC Group concentrates its special expertise on the erection and service of offshore wind farms in WINDEA Offshore. Here the SSC Group draws on its experience with more than 1,000 constructed wind turbines, including seven offshore projects in which SSC provided the majority of the offshore personnel and the site management. The company’s services also include the preparation and loading of the turbines on land. The SSC Group now employs over 300 people in Europe, more than 150 of whom work in Germany.
Van Laar Beheer BV has owned and operated traffic safety ships all over the world since 1925. Its fleet includes more than 25 vessels, two of which are operated jointly with Ems Maritime Offshore GmbH. The company employs more than 200 persons worldwide.
The competencies of Ems Maritime Offshore GmbH, founded in 2010, relate chiefly to the servicing of wind farms, with the focus on special service and crew transfer ships. In addition, Ems Maritime Offshore provides traffic safety vessels for offshore construction sites. Its activities also extend to port management, including locations and base ports such as Eemshaven, Borkum, Emden, Cuxhaven, Büsum and Heligoland, as well as operating control centres for offshore wind farms in Berne, Bremerhaven, Horneby/DK and in Sassnitz. The company currently has around 100 employees, while AG “EMS” Group has a total of over 400 employees.
Ship’s technical data:
Beam (a.o.) 10.40 m
Gross tonnage 170
Speed Up to 25 kn (ca. 46 km/h)
Flag German
Passengers 24 offshore service workers
Home port Emden
Emden, 15 December 2014
Press contact: Ms Corina Habben, 04921/9780-202, corina.habben@ag-ems.de
