Maritime Craft Services Ltd. has
ordered three more Damen Twin
Axe Fast Crew Suppliers just months after taking delivery of its first FCS 2610
catamarans.
MCS signed for three Twin Axes in
November. The vessels will be delivered in the first quarter 2013.
With more than 30 years of experience,
the Scottish firm operates a 16-strong fleet of tugs and workboats
internationally and already has several Damen vessels including Multi Cats,
Shoalbusters and Dredge Helpers. MCS has been active in the offshore wind
market for many years but decided to enter the crew transfer market in 2011.
The company’s first Twin Axe FCS
2610, MCS Sirocco was delivered in April this year and the second, MCS Pampero
is awaiting a heavy lift carrier in Singapore and is due to arrive in Rotterdam
before the end of the year.
Arjen van Elk, Damen Sales
Manager North, West & South Europe, says that these latest two MCS vessels
are built according to the new “Damen standard” FCS 2610, which has evolved and
is now outfitted with a larger wheelhouse and superstructure, providing more
accommodation space than the first models.
The Twin Axe design is a further
development of Damen’s Sea Axe concept. This unique hull form provides
excellent seakeeping behavior and means that the vessel can travel at full
speed (26 knots), while still providing a safe and comfortable ride for the
crew. The vessel can easily handle 2.5 m
significant wave heights without losing any performance, Damen says, and
extensive tests have proven that the vessel reduces bow slamming entirely under
certain conditions.
Netherlands-based Damen says it was delighted when a major
wind turbine manufacturer recently put out a tender requiring that companies
deploy Twin Axe vessels when handling its turbines. Damen is the only
manufacturer of this type of catamaran, which was developed in close
cooperation with the Delft University of Technology and other scientific
research institutes.
Although the vessel has been
eagerly adopted by the offshore wind industry, Damen says, the vessel is
suitable in multiple roles and provides a very stable platform for diving
support for instance. It can easily be converted back into a basic crew
supplier overnight.