Damen delivers Multi Cat for tidal energy project work

MAY 12, 2015 — Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a Multi Cat 2613 to Orkney, Scotland, based chartering company Scotmarine.

Scotmarine will deploy the new vessel in developing underwater tidal energy farms for Scot Renewables Tidal Power. The Scot Renewables floating tidal technology uses low-cost Multi Cat workboat vessels for installation, maintenance and decommissioning to save tidal developers’ installation costs.

The just delivered 50-tonne bollard pull vessel has a large crane and will replace a stock vessel Multi Cat that Scotmarine purchased three years ago.

The hull of the new vessel was in stock and customized for the client earlier this year, with the experience gained with the first vessel being reflected in the design.

“It’s a bulky, beamy boat that offers excellent stability and lifting capacity,” says Damen Sales Manager UK Casper Vermeulen.

The robust Multi Cat is powerful enough to pull and position underwater tidal turbines in heavy currents.

“A Multi Cat has to drop and embed heavy anchors in the seabed and connect turbines to these anchors,” says Managing Director Damen Marine Services (DMS) Rik van Prooijen. “You need a powerful vessel to do so.”

Over the past five year, Damen has delivered a number of other Multi Cats now in operations for the offshore tidal industry in the Northern Isles. Recently it delivered a 27 m x 12 m Multi Cat 2712, with a maximum bollard pull of 35 tonnes, to GreenMarine Energy Support Services.Other Damen Multi Cats include the 2613 and 2611, examples of which are operated by Delta Marine in the Shetland Isles.