Wight Shipyard Co. Ltd. (WSC) is breaking into the wind farm support vessel (WFSV) market with the launch of its new Vortisea brand.
The Vortisea brand, designed in collaboration with Australia’s Incat Crowther, is specifically geared towards European and UK wind farms, particularly those further offshore, with the operator’s expectancy for flexibility, speed and operational efficiency.
“It’s fitting that being so well established in the fast ferry sector we have chosen to enter the WFSV market. There is still a niche to be filled," Peter Morton, CEO, WSC, said in a statement announcing the launch. "We will be targeting all operators, but particularly those looking for a very high-quality vessel build in Europe,”
WSC is no stranger to working with Incat Crowther. Back in February, a collaboration between the two companies delivered a multimillion-pound export order for a 250-passenger river ferry to Twin City Liner (TCL), Vienna, Austria, and earlier this month saw the launch of two 37-meter fast ferries due for export to Ultramar, Cancún, Mexico.
WSC has a long-established pedigree in the ferry building sector with customers including MBNA Thames Clippers and Red Funnel. But this is the first time the yard has ventured into the renewables sector.
Ed Dudson, managing director, Incat Crowther, said that the WFSV Vortisea vessel has been designed to meet the latest standards in UK, German and Danish-flag state requirements. “Probably the most important design feature of the vessel is its market-leading wave height capability for transfer and transit, for this reason it was important to take a step forward in traditional WFSV design,” he said.
The catamaran hull is designed for efficiency, constructed from lightweight marine grade aluminum, so it’s an environmentally friendly build resulting in a vessel with low fuel consumption. It is initially available two sizes — 27mx9m (88.5'x29.5') and 32mx10m (105'x32.8'). The vessel has multiple machinery options (CPP/FPP/waterjet/IPS), including hybrid. Operating speeds in excess of 30 knots are achievable depending on the machinery package selected.
