Great Yarmouth News

Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Agency's new Lynx Catamaran recently went on sea trials off the coast of Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.Designed by Chartwell Marine and built by Goodchild Marine Services, the newbuild, Protector, has an overall length of 16.2 meters and a beam of 6.5 meters. Powered by Volvo Penta D8 IMO Tier III compliant engines, the vessel delivers a top speed of 22 knots and a service speed of 18 knots.The vessel will protect inshore fisheries from Haile Sand Fort in the north to Felixstowe in the south…

Wagenborg Offshore has taken delivery of the Kingsborg subsea support vessel.Kingsborg is a subsea support vessel, converted from a platform supply vessel, that will support subsea activities and decommissioning works in the southern North Sea in a long-term agreement with an energy major, Wagenborg said, without sharing the name of the client."After the positive experiences with the W2W vessels Kasteelborg and Keizersborg, Wagenborg has once again opted to convert a standard Platform Supply Vessel into this specialist offshore vessel.

UK-based offshore vessel operator North Star has awarded a new contract to Great Yarmouth-based shipbuilding Alicat Workboats Ltd for the construction of two new offshore wind daughter craft.The hybrid-propulsion workboats 5 & 6, designed by Chartwell Marine, will be integrated into North Star’s renewable fleet. They will complement the two new SPS 120 CSOVs under construction with Vard. The crafts combine diesel and electric outboard propulsion.Last week, North Star delivered…

UK-based offshore vessel owner North Star this week held a naming ceremony for the Grampian Tyne service operation vessel (SOV) which will be deployed at work at the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in the UK.The vessel was named at a ceremony at Equinor’s Port of Tyne base in the North East of England (UK), ahead of its early handover to the Dogger Bank Wind Farm.The traditional good luck celebration, involving the customary champagne bottle being smashed against the hull of the ship…

Renewable energy developer Vattenfall has selected the port at Great Yarmouth, run by infrastructure specialists Peel Ports, as the preferred location for the operations and maintenance base for the Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone.When completed, Vattenfall’s Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone will be able to power around 4.6 million households.According to Peel Ports around 130 new jobs would be created with staff directly employed for the lifetime of the project which is around 35 years.

UK boat builder Goodchild Marine Services Limited said it is to build a new pilot boat for Portland Harbour Authority in Dorset. The Great Yarmouth based company will construct an ORC 121 for Portland Port; part of broader investment the port is making to enable larger cruise ships and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships to berth alongside. Scheduled to enter service in 2025, the vessel will be the third pilot boat of its class in the Southwest, built and supplied by Goodchild Marine in recent years.Features of this class of vessel include a beak bow hull design with minimal drag…

UK-based offshore vessel operator North Star has awarded a £2 million contract to Great Yarmouth firm Alicat Workboats to build two new Chartwell designed daughter craft.The vessels will be added to North Star's new renewables fleet which is bound for the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm, located off the North East coast of England, from next year.Last September, Alicat Workboats won a contract to build an initial two daughter crafts for the offshore wind service vessel operator. The vessels have a hybrid powered design, developed by Chartwell Marine, in collaboration with North Star.

Construction has started for North Star Renewables' two vessels bound for work at what will be the world's largest offshore wind farm - the Dogger Bank in the UK.To mark the construction of the two vessels - a Service Operation Vessel and a daughter craft - two steel cutting ceremonies have taken place in Vietnam and the UK respectively.The whole newbuild program comprises three service operation vessels (SOVs) and three associated daughter crafts, with all six vessels bound for the first two phases of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, located off the East coast of Yorkshire (UK).

“30 by 30” is the rallying cry for all concerned with the burgeoning U.S. offshore wind business. In Spring 2021, the Secretaries of Energy, Interior and Commerce resolved to deploy 30 gigawatts (GW) of electricity generated from offshore turbines by 2030. Consultants McKinsey, in a recent article frame the value proposition for this clean fuel source, writing: “During the industry’s 30-year evolution, costs have fallen so sharply that offshore wind now compares favorably with competing energy sources.” For vessel owners, renewable energy brings opportunity.The thrust of near-term U.S.

UK-based offshore wind vessel operator North Star Renewables has ordered two hybrid-powered daughter craft from Great Yarmouth based-marine and engineering specialist Alicat.Once built, the vessels are destined for the Dogger Bank wind farm, 130km off England’s North East coast. They will utilize the combination of diesel and electric outboards, "a world-first for this form of workboat."Designed by Southampton-based naval architects Chartwell Marine in collaboration with North Star…

Eneti, a company until recently known as Scorpio Bulkers, has completed the exit from its bulk carrier business and has also completed the acquisition of Seajacks, boosting its offshore wind ambitions.In its quarterly results release on Tuesday, Eneti said it had on August 12 completed the previously announced transaction to acquire offshore wind installation firm Seajacks for consideration of around 8.13 million shares, $302 million of assumed net debt, $71 million of newly-issued redeemable notes, and $12 million of cash.

Offshore wind services company Eneti announced on Thursday it has entered into an agreement to acquire rival Seajacks, creating one of the world's largest, most capable fleets of wind turbine installation vessels (WTIV).Eneti said its deal with sellers Marubeni Corporation, INCJ, Ltd. and Mitsui O.S.K., Lines Ltd. will see it acquire 100% of Atlantis Investorco Limited, the parent of Seajacks International Limited, for consideration of approximately 8.13 million shares, $299 million of assumed net debt, $74 million of newly-issued redeemable notes, and $12 million of cash.

Norwegian energy firm Equinor has awarded a 5-year contract extension to Danish offshore vessel owner Esvagt for the use of the Esvagt Njord vessel at the Dudgeon offshore wind farm in the UK. The extension runs until 2026.The SOV (Service Operation Vessel) ‘Esvagt Njord’ has been servicing Equinor at the wind farm off Great Yarmouth on the English east coast since the autumn of 2016.According to the Danish company, ‘Esvagt Njord’ was the third specially built SOV dedicated to offshore wind farms in Esvagt's fleet when it arrived as a newbuild in the autumn of 2016.

Last Tuesday, the crew of the service operations vessel (SOV) Esvagt Njord helped save seven fishermen in distress near the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm in the U.K. North Sea.Esvagt Njord is a wind turbine ship assisting Equinor in the operation of the offshore wind farm off Great Yarmouth on the English east coast. Over the radio, skipper Brian Kristiansen heard a fishing vessel nearby calling for help, and when he responded, he learned that the ship was taking in water. "The fishing vessel had yet to send out a Mayday. We had a feeling, however, that there was a need for help close by.

Great Yarmouth-based Stowen Clean Energy has secured a maintenance contract with Equinor for its Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm off the North Norfolk coast in the UK.As per contract, Stowen will deliver a cathodic protection system for the substations for the 317MW offshore wind farm.The work will take place Q4 2019 – Q1 2020. The installation of the system will ensure the life expectancy of the assets whilst providing a way of monitoring corrosion levels.The contract win further strengthens the existing diverse portfolio of Stowens operations and maintenance project team operating out of Great Yarmouth.“The continued investment…

UK port operator Peel Ports Group has been officially accredited with the internationally recognized quality mark of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) at all its principal ports by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customers, affirming the Port’s efficient and robust processes to customers worldwide.The Liverpool based port operator said that achieving AEO status from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs was a “significant milestone” especially on the path towards Brexit.Peel Ports Group has successfully achieved AEO status for the following ports: Clydeport Operations Limited, Port of Sheerness Limited, The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company Limited…

BP Trinidad and Tobago LLC has awarded Vroon Offshore Services Aberdeen a multiple year, multi-million pound contract.Vroon said on Monday that BP had hired three emergency rescue and response vessels (ERRVs) from its subsidiary, Vroon Offshore Services Aberdeen.The North Sea’s largest operator of ERRVs said that it will provide three specialist vessels to support BP’s operations in the Caribbean: the VOS Gorgeous, the VOS Fabulous and the VOS Grace.Dedicated to supporting offshore operations 24/7 365 days a year, ERRVs are fully equipped to recover and rescue people from the water, provide a place of safety and medical aid. They also monitor the safety zone…

Based on the latest forecasts, engery-sector specialists Nautilus Associates claim more than £59 billion ($77 billion) could be invested in new offshore energy and infrastructure projects between now and 2040 in the Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Enterprise Zones.Johnathan Reynolds, director at Nautilus Associates, said, “We are seeing huge new investments in new offshore wind projects off the East Anglian coast, with an annual operational spend close to £1.3 billion per year by 2025. Offshore oil and gas activity is picking up following the most recent downturn, and decommissioning projects are now being contracted. It is an exciting time to be in the energy supply chain with so many opportunities for growth.”The Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth Enterprise Zones…

The provider of of topside, offshore and subsea marine services and solutions James Fisher Marine Services (JFMS) has announced that its innovative offshore support vessel, Dart Fisher, has returned to sea following refurbishment at the Alicat Workboats shipyard in Great Yarmouth.The British provider of marine engineering services provider said in a press note that the £35,000 investment was timed to coincide with up and coming operations and maintenance (O&M) charter requirements to ensure that the Dart Fisher is ready to mobilise at short notice.Scott Plank, marine manager at JFMS, said: “It is vital for James Fisher Marine Services…

Peel Ports and offshore services firm ASCO have joined forces in a long-term strategic partnership aimed at supporting the energy sector in Great Yarmouth and promoting future sustainability for the port.By working in collaboration, the two organisations will support existing customers and attract new ones to the port by offering increased flexibility to meet the demands of the oil and gas, renewable energy and decommissioning sectors operating out of Great Yarmouth.The 12-year partnership will officially commence from January 2019 and will see ASCO assume operational responsibility for two additional berths at Peel Ports Great Yarmouth.Glenn Hurren, ASCO's SNS Director said: "Our new partnership gives the additional capacity we needed to expand our operations in Great Yarmouth.

A new multi-role emergency response and rescue vessel (ERRV) built by Aberdeen-based Sentinel Martine as part of a £110 million ($145 million) investment has been deployed to operations in the southern North Sea. Forties Sentinel was officially named at a ceremony in Great Yarmouth. Forties Sentinel has been contracted to INEOS Breagh to provide support for the firm’s production facilities in the Breagh gas field. INEOS has also chartered a second ERRV from the Sentinel Marine fleet – Sentinel Ranger – for the field.

The world's first offshore floating wind farm has started to deliver electricity to the Scottish grid, providing power to approximately 20,000 households. The 30MW Hywind Scotland wind farm, operated by Statoil in partnership with Masdar 25 kilometers offshore Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, was officially opened today by First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. “This marks an exciting development for renewable energy in Scotland,” First Minister Sturgeon said. “The learnings from Hywind Scotland will pave the way for new global market opportunities for floating offshore wind energy.

Netherlands based Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. said it has acquired all shares of the U.K. based Gardline Group, a firm specializing in marine geophysical surveys, offshore geotechnical services and environmental surveys. The consideration paid including assumed debt amounts to approximately £40 million ($51.4 million). Gardline was established in 1969 and was a second-generation family-owned business with principal offices in Great Yarmouth, U.K. with further activities in the U.S., Brazil and Singapore.