Next-generation Chartwell 24 catamaran joins its sister vessel at Scotland’s largest operational wind farm
Wick, 9th March 2021 – Class-leading offshore energy support vessel (OESV) operator Seacat Services (Seacat) has announced that newly launched catamaran Seacat Rainbow has gone straight on to a long-term charter with Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd (BOWL).
Seacat Rainbow will support Operations & Maintenance activity for the service team working at BOWL, joining her sister vessel Seacat Weatherly, which is currently on charter with the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.
Seacat Rainbow and Seacat Weatherly are the first Chartwell 24 catamarans to enter operational service and are the product of long-term supply chain collaboration seeking to refine the formula for offshore wind vessel support. The contract for Seacat Rainbow is the latest example of success borne from Seacat’s commitment to develop its fleet based on the rapidly evolving needs of the market.
As offshore wind projects move further out to sea, more testing conditions have led to site operators, OEMs and contractors favouring vessels which can provide greater safety and passenger comfort. With its advanced engine and hull design, Seacat Rainbow was an ideal choice for BOWL’s needs, offering step free access, enhanced safety features and greater stability – without compromising on technical availability or fuel efficiency.
The greater reliability provided by these attributes is of particular value at project Beatrice – which is located 13km off the Caithness coast in the deep waters Northeast of Scotland – enabling Seacat Rainbow to capitalise on available weather windows amid high winds and large swells.
During a period of challenging working conditions for the industry, Seacat Rainbow’s size and enlarged foredeck also provides the space needed to allow for greater numbers of passengers and crew to socially distance in-line with COVID guidance, enabling operational efficiency to be upheld whilst maintaining rigorous health and safety standards. The versatility of Seacat’s fleet has helped the operator to meet close to maximum occupancy rates during 2020, and the addition of Seacat Rainbow and other upcoming newbuilds will help ensure that this success is repeated in 2021.
Martin Sutherland, Operations Manager, Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd, said: “Having worked with Seacat Services extensively we are well aware of the high standards of service the team brings, and their ability to respond to demanding work scopes in challenging conditions. We’re excited to bring one of the first of the ‘next-generation’ Chartwell 24 vessels onto the project, having seen first-hand the performance of Rainbow’s sister vessel Weatherly at the site.”
Ian Baylis, Managing Director at Seacat, said: “Demand for high-performance, high-efficiency offshore energy support vessels is rising across the sector, and Seacat Rainbow’s immediate charter highlights the strength of our commitment to vessel innovation and cross-industry collaboration. Seacat Rainbow is designed to capitalise on the core attributes that Seacat is built on, including best-in-class safety, availability and ultimately ‘time-on-turbine’ for technicians, enabling her to go above and beyond our customers’ expectations.”
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.
The company works directly with developers, utilities, manufacturers and support services businesses to provide fast and efficient offshore personnel and equipment transfers and has completed contracts for customers that include Equinor, Innogy, Ørsted, Siemens Gamesa, Vattenfall and WindMW.
For more details please visit – www.seacatservices.co.uk
About Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Ltd
The 588MW, 84 turbine Beatrice offshore wind farm is located approximately 13km from the Caithness coast in the Outer Moray Firth and entered operation in June 2019. It was officially opened a month later by HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay.
As well as being Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm Beatrice is also the fourth largest in the world and is capable of providing enough wind-powered electricity for up to 450,000 homes.
As part of its commitment to local and regional communities a £3m Beatrice Partnership Fund was established to be awarded over a five-year period from 2017 to 2021, with funding split between £2m for communities in Highland and £1m for communities in Moray.
Beatrice Offshore Wind Farm is operated by SSE Renewables, on behalf of its joint venture partners Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Red Rock Power Limited, from its base at Wick Harbour on the north east coast of Scotland.
