Damen receives AiP for crew supplier from ABS

Damen’s Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 2710 has been awarded Approval in Principle (AiP) by classification society, ABS. The AiP has been achieved following modifications to the vessel design to achieve compliance with US Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

The US-compliant vessel now incorporates waterjets and Damen said that its size is well-suited to operating conditions on the US Atlantic coast where a range of offshore wind power plants are planned. The vessel will be able to continue operating over the challenging winter period when smaller vessels would need to reduce speed, or in some circumstances, remain in harbour.

The FCS 2710 is a design developed from Damen’s earlier 2610 version. The extra metre of length provides more flexibility, deck space, tank capacity, accommodation, and greater comfort for passengers. The 2710 also incorporates more tunnel height above the water, enabling the vessel to operate in significant wave heights of 2m, thereby increasing uptime.

Damen’s manager, Design & Licenses, Mark Honders, commented: “We are very pleased that the FCS 2710 has received this ABS Approval in Principle. The vessel has performed very well in European operations and has also received orders from Asia. We feel very confident in its suitability for operations in North American projects also.”