CWind, a leading provider of services to the offshore wind industry, recently announced that Dong Energy, one of the key energy groups in Northern Europe, has granted CWind a two-year extension to its existing three-year crew transfer vessel contract at the West of Duddon Sands Offshore Wind Farm in the Irish Sea.
CWind, the offshore power-focused business of Global Marine Group (GMG), will provide vessels for Operations & Maintenance (O&M) to the 108-turbine West of Duddon Sands site, including a summer campaign to ensure the site remains operating at peak performance throughout the busier summer months. The contract extension builds on CWind’s solid track record over the first three years of the project.
“This extension to our contract with Dong Energy is a fantastic achievement that reflects the great service we consistently deliver to customers,” said Lee Andrews, managing director at CWind. “Winning a contract from a paper-based submission, as we did three years ago, is one thing, but securing an extension demonstrates our actual on-site performance levels and customer satisfaction. We have delivered on service and exceeded expectations in many areas, and we are determined to do the same over the next two years, relying on our can-do attitude and resourceful approach.”
“The turbines at West of Duddon Sands, which produce enough clean electricity to power up to 340,000 homes each year, are maintained by hard-working technicians journeying out to sea each day,” said Steven Clarke, head of West of Duddon Sands Operations. “The crew vessels CWind have provided over the last three years have had a high utilization factor, and we very much look forward to continuing our work together.”
Three of the CWind’s 18-strong fleet of crew transfer vessels (CTVs) have been dedicated to the project, comprising a pair of 19-meter resin-infused multi-purpose catamarans (MPCs) and one small water-plane area twin hull (SWATH) vessel. The robust and lightweight composite construction of the CTVs has proved to deliver fuel efficiencies and significant CO2 emission savings.
The MPC19 catamarans use a modular three-section-pod comprising a wheelhouse, accommodation pod, and porch module to provide enhanced deck space options and excellent operational flexibility. The catamarans can handle tasks ranging from passenger transfer, generator management, refuelling, and food deliveries, as well as straightforward accommodation duties.
For technicians who face a tough commute and need to arrive on site ready to work, the SWATH hull form is designed to cut through waves rather than ride over them, dramatically improving transit comfort, even in rough seas. Motions are approximately a quarter of those of conventional catamarans.
Importantly, CWind’s services on site are fully integrated within the whole West of Duddon Sands wind-farm team. Strong relationships built with marine coordinators, site teams, technicians, and other contractors, established over the first three years of this contract, plus the two prior to that with the company’s involvement in the site’s construction phase, will make for efficient service provision moving forward.
Source: CWind
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