Marcelo Penna Engineering and Safeway have joined forces to design an intelligent Service Operation Vessel with a very high emphasis on crew comfort, protection, and re-design to meet the future requirements of the offshore wind industry in the overall project logistics and turbine related O&M activities.
Combined with the recently launched Safeway Gannet 3D motion-compensated offshore access system with its unique features such as ‘zero impact bumpering’ or ‘hover-mode’ and roll compensation capability, the outcome of the partnership is the DP2 MP625 SOV.
A major benefit of this cost-saving engineering approach is that, even in the roughest sea conditions, the SOV will remain in a wind farm. And the floating pair is able to deliver a degree of protection, versatility and effectiveness previously unprecedented in the international offshore gangway industry, thanks to the distinctive Safeway Gannet 3D motion compensated gangway.
Different simulation experiments have shown that over the year, the Spanish / Dutch combination has demonstrated unrivalled workability.
“For both our companies innovation was the key driver behind this partnership. Our common goal was to come up with a high-quality design and cutting-edge technology that would minimize construction and maintenance costs, maximize operational efficiency at sea and reduce any unplanned downtime. And we are confident that the MP625 SOV and Safeway’s Gannet gangway will become a popular combination in the demanding and fast-growing SOV market.”
Marcelo Penna, CEO of Marcelo Penna Engineering.
In the case of the high seas, the trimaran hull function of the SOV gains extra benefit, as the speed reduction is almost zero compared to a calm sea state. Compared to the industry standard of Hs 2.5 meters, the design allows for up to 21 kts of high speed while ensuring complete comfort for staff and cargo transfers (between 1,000 and 2,000 kg) with up to 3.5 meter waves.
“Our Safeway Gannet 3D motion-compensated access system was developed in response to evolving requirements for fast, safe and efficient walk-to-work systems such as those being sought by Equinor and its partners for the massive offshore wind farms they plan to build on Dogger Bank. Vessel and gangway must be able to connect and transfer personnel and equipment in a significant wave height of 3.5 m Hs, while the SOV must also be more compact than those built to date for services in the North Sea.”
Wijnand van Aalst, CEO of Safeway.
With a length of only 64 meters the MP625 is around 20 meters smaller than SOVs built to date. In addition, the vessel will be fitted with three powerful diesel engines, each of which will be coupled with two hybrid-solution electric engines with a combined output power of 4.4 MW.
The vessel would be able to stay in DP for up to 12 hours in silent mode by equipping the SOV with lithium batteries. All of these solutions mean a very low consumption of gasoline.
By providing this intelligent and future-proof SOV / access device model to the international offshore wind market, Marcelo Penna Engineering and Safeway intend to assist wind farm developers in implementing projects that contribute to the transition to renewable energy.
