Siemens Gamesa extends Seacat Services contracts

Seacat Vigilant

U.K. Offshore Energy Support Vessel (OESV) operator Seacat Services has secured long-term extensions to its vessel support contracts with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) at the Galloper offshore wind farm (Galloper), off the coast of Suffolk, England.

Building on a pair of two-year operations and maintenance (O&M) charter agreements signed in 2017 for the vessels Seacat Vigilant and Seacat Liberty, SGRE has now extended both contracts. Seacat Liberty is now under contract until fourth 2022 and Seacat Vigilant until fourth quarter, 2020, with options to extend further.

These extensions will see Seacat Services continue to provide specialist logistical support to the SGRE technical teams, transporting technicians and O&M equipment as they perform both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance at the 56-turbine Galloper site.

Seacat Services says that offshore wind system manufacturers and service providers such as SGRE can realize extensive benefits by taking a “value-over-cost” approach in managing long-term O&M agreements.

“By investing in the most capable vessels and crews for the duration of its service contract at Galloper,” says Seacat Services, “SGRE has benefited from extremely high levels of vessel availability.”

TIME ON TURBINE

This has enabled the business to maximizse “time on turbin” for technicians, and, in turn, keep its maintenance programs on schedule, driving operational and efficiency improvements for the wind farm owner.

Efficiency and collaboration at the project site have been enhanced further by the presence of a third Seacat Services vessel, Seacat Ranger, which remains on charter for Galloper Wind Farm Ltd.

“Our long-standing relationship with Seacat Services across Europe helps grow a shared culture of trust for safety and productivity,” said Steve Myers, Implementation and Asset Manager, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. “It also means we have access to one of the most capable fleets in the offshore wind sector – with the substantial project benefits this entails.”

“The importance of safe, cost-effective management of offshore wind support fleets cannot be underestimated,” said Ian Baylis, Managing Director, Seacat Service. “Market understanding of this is growing, and it is increasingly being reflected in the development of stable, collaborative supplier relationships.”