Leo Hambro, Commercial Director of Tidal Transit, has announced that the company has just placed an order for the manufacture of the third, in its potential fleet of ten, innovative wind farm crew transfer vessels.
To be named Tia Elizabeth, this new vessel will be built to exactly the same high specification as its two sister craft, Ginny Louise and Eden Rose , apart from the fitment of a rear crane which can be used for the deployment of a rescue craft, such as an inflatable rib.
These vessels are purpose-designed for use by companies involved in the planning, development and construction of offshore wind farms in the Greater Wash and the North Sea, and are built to cope with the rough seas, and the subsequent difficult working conditions, encountered by this burgeoning North Sea energy industry.
Tia Elizabeth will be built by Mercurio Plastics, the same boat builder that built its two sister vessels, and Tidal Transit is expecting to take delivery of her during March 2013.
The growing team at Tidal Transit is very upbeat about the pace of growth in the offshore wind farm sector, and Leo Hambro commented: "As the UK strives to meet its renewable energy targets, I believe we will see a huge increase in new wind farm projects in the North Sea. Currently there are offshore projects progressing off the coasts of the UK, Germany and The Netherlands, and last week's announcement that North Norfolk's Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm project had been acquired, and will be developed, by the two Norwegian companies Statoil and Statkraft was good news. These are exciting times for Tidal Transit."