Damen has a network of more than 45 shipyards, repair yards and related companies world wide. These shipyards are either in partnership with, or directly owned and managed by, Damen. In fact it is almost certain that one of them is close to your wind farm.
They have a wide range of vessels in their portfolio based on standard, modular designs, which allows the group to provide fast delivery times, competitive pricing and reliability due to their proven and tested technology.
The Dutch shipyard entered the offshore wind crew transfer market in 2010 with a purpose design and build for support vessels, and their first vessel in this design, the Twin Axe 2610, was handed over in June 2011. In total 14 have been sold and another 20 are under construction for stock, due to the strong demand. These vessels are now being built in Damen shipyards in the Far East and Europe, and their design now includes the smaller, new kid on the block, the 2008 (20 denotes the length and 08 the beam in metres). The Damen Shipyard business model of building vessels for stock has been a success from the start.
Damen is continuing to expand its offshore wind series as a result of its strong belief in the overall offshore wind market. Their R&D and design teams have continued their efforts and this has resulted in the Damen Combi Carrier (DCC) 7500. This new breed of multi purpose vessel is ideal for feeding the jack-up Wind Turbine Installation Vessel, saving valuable time, allowing the vessels to return to port for more Wind Turbine Generator components.
Damen has also designed the Wind Farm Maintenance Barge for all types of support work once the farm has been built and is in operation. The maintenance barge will be a base for remote infield operations. It will provide a base for both personnel and parts, as well as providing a safe haven for wind farm support vessels. A great deal of interest was shown at EWEA in Copenhagen this year in these vessel designs.
As the offshore wind industry continues its rapid growth these versatile vessels, which are also suited for other sectors of the offshore industry, are sure to prove themselves.
Dick Hill