Yesterday, Windcat Workboats MD, Neil Clarkson,
formally handed over Windcat 38 to its new client - SSE’s Head of Offshore
Wind Generation, Steve Rose. SSE has chartered the vessel to work on Greater
Gabbard OWF. The presentation
of the newly built 19m vessel took place at Windcat’s new marine engineering
facility in Lowestoft, UK.
Steve Rose said on accepting the vessel:
“I am delighted that we continue to work with Windcat, we have developed
a good relationship over the years. In addition I am very pleased to see
Windcat investing significantly in the local area, not just establishing
its UK head office in the town but also its engineering base. The development
of the new facility in Lowestoft shows that the offshore wind industry
provides direct benefits to local people by creating jobs and supporting
training opportunities.”
Windcat 38 will be one in a long line
of Windcats that have worked or are working on Greater
Gabbard. At present, the
company has six vessels working on the 504MW site supporting offshore maintenance
work.
Neil Clarkson said: “We believe that
offering our clients reliability is essential. Being able to have a dedicated
engineering base will help ensure that we meet this goal. We have a great
deal of confidence that Lowestoft will support our business growth. The
town is close to the main European market which with the development of
East
Anglia 1 OWF will
continue to expand."
“The development of the engineering
base was made possible with the support of ABPorts who provide the hoisting
facilities enabling the development of the site to go ahead. In time we
will operating a full marine engineering training centre. Having the Lowestoft
College on hand allows us to offer our staff the benefits of formal qualifications
as well as practical experience. Our crew and support staff are directly
employed so it makes sense to invest in them.”
Windcat is actively recruiting marine
engineers and apprentices and is delighted with the response received so
far.
The development of new 1,377m2
site will enable Windcat Workboats to service its entire fleet at Lowestoft.
With Windcat 39 under construction, the demand for marine engineering services
will continue to grow.
Windcat Workboats owns and operates a
growing fleet of over 38 offshore crew transfer vessels, mainly in the
European offshore wind sector, but also in the oil and gas industry and
outside Europe.
Greater
Gabbard offshore wind farm
consists of 140 SWT-3.6-107 Siemens turbine turbines and is located off
the coast of East Anglia. The project has a 504MW capacity and produces
enough renewable energy to supply around 530,000 homes each year. For more
information on the project, please follow the links provided.