VOS Start. Photo: Vroon
Netherlands-based Vroon Offshore Services has christened its first walk-to-work vessel to support offshore operations in the wind energy industry.
The VOS Start was christened July 20 during a ceremony at Damen Shiprepair in Amsterdam. The vessel was completed at Damen Oranjewerf, located at the port of Amsterdam, after initial construction in China.
VOS Start is Vroon’s first subsea-support walk-to-work vessel and has been purpose built to support offshore operations in the renewable energy sector as well as oil and gas projects. The 80-meter, DP2 vessel is equipped with an active heave-compensated crane and next-generation Barge Master motion-compensated gangway system, helping ensure the safe transfer of personnel while on the job.
Offshore wind parks can consist of as many as 100 individual wind turbines, connected by infield cables to transformer stations, and the construction and commissioning of an offshore wind park typically requires many visits to each individual turbine. For this reason, VOS Start offers accommodation for client teams, office space for engineering and project managers, a warehouse to store materials and tools and an onboard workshop to prepare for day-to-day tasks. Most important is an access system that guarantees safe transfer for the teams and their material to and from the wind turbines.
VOS Start is also equipped with excellent WI-FI, essential to the its operations as well as crew and personal comfort outside working hours. VOS Start is also equipped with a cinema and a gym.
Vroon notes that it clients typically spend a minimum of 14 days on board, meaning that multimedia and hotel standards onshore have become the norm for offshore operations.
VOS Start will start its first charter with MHI Vestas Offshore Wind in August, providing offshore logistics support, accommodation and walk-to-work services during construction of the Walney Extension Offshore Wind Farm in the Irish Sea.
A sister vessel, VOS Stone, will be delivered to Vroon by Fujian Southeast Shipbuilding in China this week.
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