From luxurious ferry to offshore support vessel

For the second time in the 2013 season Chevalier Floatels have delivered an offshore vessel for service support operations. On 8 August 2013, after just 19 weeks of work, the DP Galyna was handed over by Holland Shipyards to Chevalier Floatels in Hardinxveld-Giessendam on the Merwede River, the Netherlands. The vessel was named by Galyna Matviiva, the Ukrainian girlfriend of Chevalier Floatels’ owner and general manager Marcel Roelofs, and she was also the inspiration for the name DP Galyna. Shortly after the naming ceremony, the offshore support vessel departed to England to fulfil a long-term charter contract with Siemens for the maintenance of windmills in the 500 MW Greater Gabbard wind farm in the North Sea.

Offshore comfort

The DP Galyna was used, just as her sister ship the DP Gazina, as a luxurious ferry in Denmark until 2008 and acquired by Chevalier Floatels in 2011. Convertin the vessel from ferry to offshore support vessel was a challenge, but nevertheless the project team from Holland Shipyards was dedicated to get the job done. They did not only convert the ferry to a comfortable offshore support vessel, but added nine metres to the length of the ship’s hull which allowed several extra cabins. With 36 single and twelve double berth cabins, the DP Galyna now offers accommodation for up to a total of 44 passengers and a crew of 16. When necessary she can accommodate 90 persons, in which case more cabins will be used as double cabins. The vessel does not just provide overnight accommodation, but because offshore projects are getting more complex and take longer, the ship also offers the necessary comfort. There is a range of facilities provided for the passengers of the DP Galyna, including a hospital, laundry, fitness area, restaurant and a (smoker’s) lounge.

As the DP Galyna is an offshore accommodation vessel that will be used in offshore wind farms to house staff and transport them to the windmills in farms like the Great Gabbard, the vessel also needs to offer a good working environment. Therefore the working facilities include a workshop and a heave compensated crane among other things. Thanks to the self-stabilising platform and Ampelmann walkway it is possible for the staff to get safely and quickly to another vessel or the windmill platform, which increases the operational window to 90%. In addition, the vessel has a Praxis DP2 system that makes it possible to automatically maintain position and course. The bridge of the vessel is a SAM Electronic Line integrated bridge console with a high level of automation and GPS. Last but not least, the DP Galyna is capable of sailing 15 days autonomously, with a freezer and cooler to store provisions for the given operational criteria of Siemens.

Anne Kregting