Vroon Group subsidiary orders two wind farm service vessels

Vroon Group subsidiary MPI Workboats of the U.K.  has placed an order for two additional offshore wind farm service vessels. They will be built at the South Boats Medina Shipyard on the Isle of Wight, U.K. and, when delivered next year, will bring the total number of vessels in the MPI Workboat Fleet to eight. At present, five vessels are in service and a sixth (MPI Dulcinea) is scheduled for delivery later this month.

Designed specifically for MPI Workboats, the South Catamaran 17 m LS can fulfill a multiplicity of roles demanded by wind farm site owners and operators.

VESSEL PARTICULARS

Length o.a.     17.5 m
Length hull    17.00 m
Beam overall    6.40
Lightship draft    1.00 m
Lightship displacement    45 tonnes
Total fuel capacity    4,600 liters
Range    350 nm (16 hrs @ 22 knots)
Water capacity    400 liters
Complement (total)    12 passengers + 3 crew

MPI Offshore, based in Stokesley, U.K., has been pioneering the offshore wind turbine installation business since 2003, when the first dedicated wind turbine installation vessel was delivered: MPI Resolution. Over the past seven years MPI has been involved in numerous wind farm construction projects, including those on Barrow and Robin Rigg. During 2008, the company decided to invest $550 million in two state-of-the-art wind turbine installation vessels, MPI Adventure and MPI Discovery. The second of these vessels, MPI Discovery, is currently under construction at the Cosco Qidong Shipyard in China.

June 13, 2011