Damen Shipyards Group has recently announced a new design. The Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 3410 service accommodation and transfer vessel (SATV) contains numerous design features that ensure its suitability for operations in the developing offshore wind market in North America.
The design of the new vessel builds on the success of proven Damen designs that have earned themselves an outstanding reputation in the European renewables market.
The premise of the design is the Damen Twin Axe bow design. The Axe Bow, a patented design that allows the vessel to cut through waves instead of slamming, significantly improves seakeeping and onboard comfort. Damen’s FCS 2610 optimised this seakeeping behaviour by combining the Axe Bow with a catamaran hull form.
The FCS 2610 was heralded as a game changer in the offshore renewables industry in Europe and went on to sell over 45 vessels. Damen has recently developed this theme further with the FCS 2710 – a new FCS vessel one metre longer than its predecessor and, significantly, with an additional metre in water clearance, enabling the vessel safely extended operational windows.
The FCS 3410 further develops this evolutionary theme, tailoring the concept to meet the requirements of the emerging US offshore renewables market, as Daan Dijxhoorn, Damen sales manager US explains. “This vessel is well suited to numerous markets, however, we have given it long endurance capability so that it can remain at sea for up to five days at a time – a requirement typically seen in US operations. To facilitate this we have designed a vessel 6 metres longer than previous FCS types, able to host more on board personnel and accommodation.”
