Damen Shipyards has teamed up with Baltic Workboats (BWB) to build one of its crew transfer vessel models in Estonia for use in the offshore wind market.
Under an agreement between Damen and BWB, the Fast Crew Supplier 2710 will be built at BWB’s facility on Saaremaa Island in Estonia.
The FCS 2710 is a versatile vessel and those built by BWB will undertake a range of duties in the North and Baltic seas. These will include deploying and retrieving technicians and their equipment during the construction and commissioning phases of the wind turbine installations and then transporting the maintenance crews that keep them operational throughout their lifetimes.
According to Damen, a range of propulsion configuration options and preparations for alternative fuels will be available to meet the requirements of regulators and customers. Damen’s Twin-Axe hull form enhances both excellent seakeeping capabilities and fuel economy while adding more deck space and accommodation.
Baltic Workboats has long experience in building aluminum fast workboats for patrol and pilot duties as well as ferries and tugs. Damen claims that the series construction of the fast crew suppliers is in line with their shipbuilding capabilities.
The production of the first batch of vessels is already underway. The aluminum for the first hulls was cut on May 9 and the first vessel is expected to be ready for delivery in the summer of 2024.
Over the next five years, more than ten FCS 2710s will be built using serial production techniques adopted from the automotive sector and adapted for the shipbuilding sector.
“Working together will bring us closer to this fast-developing region as well as enable us to meet the demand for high-quality vessels that we are seeing from our customers. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship,” said Jan-Wim Dekker, Chief Commercial Officer at Damen Shipyards.
