Seacat Services sends second OESV to support GGOWL operations team, following over 9200 safe crew transfers completed by her sister vessels at the project to date
Cowes, 10th May 2021 – Class leading offshore energy support vessel (OESV) operator Seacat Services (Seacat) has today announced that it has signed a long-term charter for catamaran Seacat Magic with Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm Ltd.
Seacat Magic will support Operations & Maintenance (O&M) activity for the Greater Gabbard service team working at the 504MW wind farm. She joins sister vessel Seacat Freedom, which was first deployed to the site in 2017.
Safely capitalising on weather windows and favourable on-site conditions is key to effective crew and equipment transfers that keep maintenance schedules on track at sites such as Greater Gabbard. Seacat’s OESVs including Magic and Freedom are therefore optimised to maximise safety and technical availability for the wind farm operator and service teams during these periods – while ensuring that technicians reach turbines and other infrastructure quickly and comfortably.
Since the beginning of the relationship in 2012, when Seacat Resolute was signed on a long-term charter to support construction at Greater Gabbard, Seacat Services has repeatedly proven its ability to meet and exceed the technical and safety requirements of the customer.
From 2017 to March 2020 while in operation at Greater Gabbard, Seacat Freedom performed over 9,200 safe crew transfers to the wind farm. This has been achieved with minimal downtime, and a technical vessel availability of 98.7%.
Seacat Services’ longstanding presence at Greater Gabbard has also brought community benefits, with the vessels manned by local crews wherever possible. Having launched its third OESV apprenticeship scheme in February of this year, Seacat is maintaining a commitment to developing homegrown talent.
Ian Baylis, Managing Director at Seacat said: “We are driven to provide the highest quality of service to all of our clients, and Greater Gabbard is no exception. The wind farm is a unique and technically challenging project to operate on, and the addition of a capable vessel like Seacat Magic will ensure that O&M activity will continue to meet deadlines safely and efficiently as the project scales up, irrespective of weather conditions.
The deal comes after Seacat secured its first long-term O&M charter for newly launched catamaran Seacat Rainbow with Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm Ltd (BOWL) in March.
About Seacat Services:
Seacat Services is the class leading wind farm support vessel operator which operates internationally out of Cowes, UK, with a fleet of fourteen IACS classified multi-purpose offshore energy support vessels.
Each vessel is purpose designed and constructed to conduct safe, fast, comfortable transport and transfer of personnel and equipment in the toughest of marine environments.
About Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Limited
Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farm is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (50%) and RWE Renewables (50%). SSE Renewables operates the offshore wind farm.
The 504MW offshore wind farm has been in operation since 2012, generating enough low-carbon renewable energy each year to power the equivalent of over 400,000 UK homes.
Greater Gabbard was a pioneering project for the UK offshore wind industry and for many years the 140-turbine site was the largest wind farm under development world-wide.
Greater Gabbard was awarded development rights from The Crown Estate in 2003. Planning permission was granted four years later, and in 2008 onshore construction work began around Sizewell in Suffolk. Lowestoft was selected as the Operations and Maintenance base in 2009, bringing 100 jobs to the area. Offshore construction began, and in 2011 the first two turbines produced power to the National Grid. All 140 turbines were commissioned and have been producing power since 2012.
The next exciting phase to this wind farm is the Greater Gabbard Extension project, known as North Falls Offshore Wind Farm. Being developed jointly with RWE Renewables, the extension has been awarded an Agreement for Lease for up to 504MW from The Crown Estate. North Falls has the potential to build on Greater Gabbard’s already successful legacy in the East of England. More information about the project can be found at www.northfallsoffshore.com.
