Damen announces new service accommodation and transfer vessel
Damen Shipyards Group has recently announced a new design. The Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 3410 service accommodation and transfer vessel (SATV) contains numerous design features that ensure its suitability for operations in the developing offshore wind market in North America.
The design of the new vessel builds on the success of proven DAMEN designs that have earned themselves an outstanding reputation in the European renewables market.
The premise of the design is the DAMEN Twin Axe bow design. The Axe Bow, a patented design that allows the vessel to cut through waves instead of slamming, significantly improves seakeeping and onboard comfort. Damen’s FCS 2610 optimised this seakeeping behaviour by combining the Axe Bow with a catamaran hull form.
The FCS 2610 was heralded as a game changer in the offshore renewables industry in Europe and went on to sell over 45 vessels. DAMEN has recently developed this theme further with the FCS 2710 – a new FCS vessel one metre longer than its predecessor and, significantly, with an additional metre in water clearance, enabling the vessel safely extended operational windows.
The FCS 3410 further develops this evolutionary theme, tailoring the concept to meet the requirements of the emerging US offshore renewables market, as Daan Dijxhoorn, DAMEN sales manager US explains. “This vessel is well suited to numerous markets, however, we have given it long endurance capability so that it can remain at sea for up to five days at a time – a requirement typically seen in US operations. To facilitate this we have designed a vessel 6 metres longer than previous FCS types, able to host more on board personnel and accommodation.”
The FCS 3410 also draws on the successful DAMEN Accommodation Support Vessel 9020, a walk-to-work vessel designed for transporting and providing accommodation for offshore personnel for up to a month.
Daan continues: There’s a real sense that offshore wind is building momentum. The Black Island Wind Farm off Rhode Island is still the only wind farm in operation off the coast of the USA nearly two years after it opened, but a number of states are pushing ahead with their own plans for offshore renewable energy development.”
Massachusetts currently leads the way in these developments with a target of 1,600 MW generated by wind energy by 2027 and having an 800 MW project planned to begin next year. New York, New Jersey and Maryland also have plans in the pipeline.
The FCS 3410 would be built on location in the United States. For many years, US partner yards have built DAMEN designs at domestic locations, providing American ship owners with access to Damen’s designs while complying with the requirements of the Jones Act. This process, the DAMEN Technical Cooperation, ranges from simple licensing up to the delivery of full materials package, including technical support.
Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 35 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. DAMEN has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept DAMEN is able to guarantee consistent quality.
Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, DAMEN vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.
Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.
For nearly all vessel types DAMEN offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. DAMEN also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.
Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating and (covered) drydocks, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.
