AMC delivers versatile windfarm support vessel

MO4 can be rapidly switched from 12 to 24 passenger capacity

JULY 6, 2017 — After a record build time, Cowes, U.K., shipyard Aluminium Marine Consultants (AMC) this week handed over the windfarm support vessel MO4 to family-owned Mainprize Offshore, based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

The 23.4 m x 10.1 m catamaran will carry cargo, equipment and personnel out of the port of Hooksiel, Germany, to the Nordergründe offshore windfarm under an eight-year contract with Deutsche Windtechnik.

MO4 took a break from sea trials to attend the recent Seawork event where she showed off her expansive deck and cabin area, and her designed-in ability to be easily increased from 12 to 24 passenger capacity.

With huge ample deck space both fore and aft, MO4 can carry up to 30,000 liters of fuel or 20,000 liters of water and has provision for for 20′ containers and 30 t of deck cargo.

The vessel has been designed for shallow water work with a 1.4 m draft.

MO4 is fitted with twin Caterpillar C32 diesel engines driving fixed pitch propellers that gives the vessel a service speed of 26 knots, even when fully loaded.

“We chose Aluminium Marine Consultants because of their flexibility and the company’s attention to detail and workmanship, this now means that MO4 will start to pay back four months earlier than any other builder could offer,” commented owner Bob Mainprize.

“On trials, following some fine tuning she reached a top recorded speed of 30.7 knots with 12T of fuel and payload,” he added.