Keel laid for Bibby’s second Damen SOV

Due for delivery in August 2019, the service operation vessel (SOV) is the second in Damen’s WaveMaster series and will be deployed in maintenance operations for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and EnBW on two windfarms in German waters, Hohe See and Albatros. The two facilities are jointly owned by EnBW and Enbridge.
The SOV 9020 has been developed by Damen after close consultation with clients in the offshore renewables sector. The DP2 vessel will have a motion-compensated gangway, an innovative hull design, and a range of features to raise efficiency and reduce costs. The latest vessel will be very similar to Wavemaster 1, the first vessel in the series, although the bridge is to be reconfigured and a different gangway arrangement and crane will be supplied by SMST of the Netherlands.
Wavemaster 1 recently completed its first charter, with related options, servicing wind farms off the east coast of the UK. It is now on charter to Total E&P Netherlands, working on gas platforms in the southern North Sea.
Stephen Bolton, Bibby Marine Services managing director, said: “We have had good feedback on the Wavemaster 1 from our clients, and lots of interest from third parties wanting to look over her. That gives us lots of confidence in the concept, and we have also found the Damen HIL Simulator invaluable in validating performance of the SOV design, with the initial theoretical predictions now being supported by data coming back from Wavemaster 1.”