Orbital Marine Power gets fully recyclable workboat for offshore operations

Business Developments & Projects

August 22, 2023, by Amir Garanovic

ExoTechnologies, the maritime green technologies start-up, has delivered a fully recyclable, high-performance workboat to tidal energy company Orbital Marine Power to support its offshore operations.

ExoTechnologies' workboat for Orbital Marine Power (Courtesy of ExoTechnologies)

The vessel, built from ExoTechnologies’ DANUTM composite material technology, will be used to transport engineers to Orbital Marine Power’s O2, the world’s most powerful tidal turbine off Orkney and the company’s first commercial demonstrator.

The workboat has been built at Ultimate Boats, the Glasgow boatyard owned by ExoTechnologies and is part of the full high-performance workboat range that it launched earlier this year.

The 11-meter O-class Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RIB) can carry eight people and is adapted for the specific operational needs of Orbital Marine Power and the challenging sea conditions around Orkney.

It has a wheelhouse, shock mitigation units, access from the front and has an operating range of 450 nautical mile, according to ExoTechnologies.

The vessel also features the company’s advanced ExoHullTM technology, designed and developed by Ultimate Boats internationally renowned chief designer John Moxham.

The hull design allows the boat to move quicker and more efficiently in the water, creating a more stable movement with less slamming impact and fuel saving.

Shane Mugan, ExoTechnologies’ CEO, said: “We are very proud to be working with Orbital Marine Power to support its pioneering work in the field of green energy.

“Innovation and making a positive difference through the development of a renewable marine industry is at the heart of the work of both our operations.

“Our fully recyclable DANUTM composite material technology can tackle the ecological timebomb which sees 250 million kilos of fiberglass and thousands of boats dumped into landfill across Europe each year.

“That shows the potential of our market leading technologies, which we believe are capable of accelerating the green transition to a circular economy across all industries and markets.”