Grimsby News

Ulstein Design & Solutions has signed a contract with Turkey's Tersan Shipyard for two methanol-fuelled ULSTEIN SX216 Construction Service Operating Vessel (CSOV) designs. The vessels will be constructed for the Dutch company Acta Marine and will be number 3 and 4 with the TWIN X-STERN solution in the Acta Marine fleet.The SX216 vessel series has a length of 89,9m, a beam of 19,2m and accommodates up to 135 POB. It has a walk-to-work (W2W) motion-compensated gangway for safe personnel transfer to the turbines…

James Fisher and Sons plc and Uptime International have signed a memorandum of understanding to partner for the use of motion compensated gangways in the development of the pioneering Ulstein SX221 Diamond SOV. The duo said that the agreement would ensure the safety and efficiency of offshore personnel through autonomous and intelligent operations.The news is related to the Diamond Consortium’s ULSTEIN SX221 Diamond SOV concept, announced in June 2022. With James Fisher representing the Diamond Consortium…

The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) announced that Mark Heward has joined its team as Director. Heward came aboard with MITAGS in October 2022, after retiring from a 22-year active service career in the Royal Navy.“We are thrilled to welcome Mark Heward aboard as the Director of MITAGS. Mark’s underway time, leadership, management and training experience together with being fully STCW qualified and his continuing education experience are a rare combination,” said Eric Friend, MITAGS Executive Director.

The Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) said Friday that Mark Heward had joined as Director of MITAGS.Heward came aboard with MITAGS in October 2022, after retiring from a 22-year active service career in the Royal Navy.Eric Friend, MITAGS Executive Director, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Heward Heward aboard as the Director of MITAGS. Mark’s underway time, leadership, management, and training experience, together with being fully STCW qualified…

Renewable energy company RWE said Thursday it would create an offshore wind operations hub at Grimsby’s Royal Dock, on the UK’s east coast.The new ‘Grimsby Hub’ will expand the existing Triton Knoll offshore wind farm base and will be the home for RWE’s specialist team for major component exchanges and offshore repairs. As part of the move, RWE’s 1.4 gigawatt (GW) Sofia offshore wind farm will also locate its operations and maintenance activities to the new hub in the future.RWE expects the new facility will accommodate around 140 RWE employees…

The UK-based Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has said it has secured funding for five projects as part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.Fifty-five projects successfully secured £23m funding as part of the Competition, announced at an event during London International Shipping Week by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.ORE Catapult is either leading or is a consortium partner in five of those projects, totaling £3.3m in funding awarded.

A new service operations vessel (SOV) was launched at the Cemre Shipyard in Turkey for French vessel owners Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA).Upon delivery in 2021, the 84-meter SOV Wind of Hope will go to work for Danish wind energy giant Ørsted servicing its Hornsea Two offshore wind farm, with accommodations for up to 64 technicians who will service and maintain the wind turbines and an additional vessel crew. The ship is expected to arrive at Ørsted’s east coast operations and maintenance facility at the U.K.

UK-based offshore support services provider CWind has signed a long-term charter deal with Dalby Offshore for several offshore vessels that will support offshore wind farms in the UK North Sea.The deal will see CWind immediately add four new vessels to its fleet with the option of an additional two vessels later in the year.Also, CWind said it that supported throughout negotiations by vessel procurement advisor Colebrook Offshore, It has already chartered some of the new vessels…

UK's technology innovation and research center  Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult has announced ambitious expansion plans in the Humber, including a commitment to open a base of operations in Grimsby and create 50 to 70 jobs in the region in the next 10 years.The Catapult is already an active member of Aura, a regional partnership of leading industry and academic organisations focused on driving forward the growth of the UK’s offshore wind sector, and collaborates with the University of Hull as part of the Operations & Maintenance Center of Excellence (OMCE) to develop research and innovation projects designed to improve the way that offshore wind farms are operated and maintained.Ben George…

MMS Offshore Renewable Services Ltd has taken delivery of a Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 2610 from Damen Shipyards Group. The new vessel – to be called MMS Superior – will be deployed in a variety of roles in the offshore renewables, oil & gas and marine civil engineering sectors.MMS Offshore Renewable Services is located on the banks of the River Humber in Hull and Grimsby, UK. The company operates a modern fleet that consists of workboats and multi-purpose wind farm support vessels…

Offshore energy support vessel (OESV) operator Seacat Services signed a  deal to support the construction phase of Triton Knoll offshore wind farm.The contract, which includes options for further vessel charters, will initially see two Seacat Services OESVs – one 26-meter and one 24-meter catamaran – operating out of Triton Knoll’s new Grimsby construction base, providing specialist crew transfer and logistical support at the 90-turbine, 857MW project off the UK’s East Coast.With offshore construction set to commence in Q1 2020…

Associated British Ports (ABP) announced new customers for the Port of Immingham this week as the port welcomed the first vessel in a new contract with customers Top Blue and The Fuel Trading Company.The new deal is expected to bring an extra 30,000 tonnes per year through the Port of Immingham – the largest Port by tonnage in the UK. The cargo being delivered is Prilled Urea which is a key part of the mixture for the AdBlue market.AdBlue is a fluid which is put into vehicle exhaust systems, helping to reduce emissions produced by diesel engines. With car manufacturers having to follow to strict emissions targets, AdBlue is vital to make sure diesel cars are kinder to the environment.The Humber provides an ideal location and efficient links to the product’s final destination…

UK based contractor Tolent started work to construct a new multi-million offshore construction and operations base for Triton Knoll has officially started at Grimsby’s Royal Dock.Having been awarded the contract last month, Tolent has now begun work to construct control room, office and warehouse facilities that will become the new operations and maintenance base for the 857 megawatt (MW) offshore wind farm.Triton Knoll is a offshore wind farm and the largest in the portfolio of majority project shareholder Innogy that is currently in construction. Once fully operational, it will be capable of generating enough renewable energy for the equivalent of over 800…

UK towage company SMS Towage has purchased two tugs from Damen Shipyards. The first vessel, called Manxman, was handed over on April 12, just seven days after contract signing. The contract for the second vessel, to be called Marksman, was signed on May 1 with a delivery date scheduled for June 7th. Both vessels are Damen ASD Tugs 2411, and mark the first Damen tugs for SMS Towage.Established in 2002, SMS Towage started towage activities on and around the Humber Estuary on the UK’s east coast.

Viking Link, an electricity link between Denmark and the UK has been given the green light by the government. The  a proposed 473-mile (761km) electricity cable between Bicker Fen, near Boston, and Revsing, in southern Jutland.The cable running from the Lincolnshire coast to Denmark, uniting UK offshore wind with the sector’s pioneering nation. The GBP1.8 billion (USD 2.31 bln) project hits UK landfall between Sandilands and Anderby Creek.It will include about 40 miles of underground cables before it reaches landfall, running between Bicker Fen near Boston - where Grimsby’s latest offshore wind farm Triton Knoll will also feed in to - and a substation in Southern Jutland, Denmark.National Grid and Energinet hold a 50/50 share of Viking Link.

As agreement between Associated British Ports (ABP) container terminal located in Hull and Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping line,  to open a trading link between the north of England and the Far East.The service begins in the New Year into the 21-acre container terminal in Hull which has seen significant recent investment by ABP. The weekly feeder vessels will see ABP handle around 240 boxes per week, equivalent to 12,000 containers per year.“Unlocking this new trade gateway to the rest of the world is not only significant for the local economy, but also for the national and international economy,” said Simon Bird, ABP Humber Director.“We’re proud to welcome the world’s largest container shipping line…

Danish offshore wind farm developer Orsted A/S has completed the divestment of 50% of the Hornsea 1 Offshore Wind Farm to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).Three months ago, Ørsted signed an agreement to sell 50% of the 1,218MW offshore wind farm Hornsea 1 to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Hornsea 1 is under construction and will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when commissioned in 2020.As part of the agreement, Ørsted will construct the wind farm under a full-scope EPC contract. Ørsted will also provide long-term operations and maintenance services from its O&M base in Grimsby and provide a route to market for the power generated by Hornsea 1.Ole Kjems Sørensen…

Sembcorp Marine is breaking new ground in renewable  energy engineering solutions with two separate projects worth over S$200 million (USD 145 mln).The Group has inked an agreement with Ørsted Wind Power subsidiary Optimus Wind Limited for engineering, procurement, construction, hook-up and commissioning works on two topsides, to be deployed at the Hornsea 2 Offshore Wind Farm in the UK North Sea.With a combined weight of approximately 8,700 tonnes, the two topsides will be fabricated at Sembcorp Marine’s integrated yard facilities for delivery in the first quarter of 2021.The 1.4 gigawatt (GW) capacity Hornsea 2 Offshore Wind Farm – the world’s biggest when operational in 2022 – is located 89km north-east of Grimsby…

The Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group (LDA) and Ørsted, the Danish global leader in renewables, reinforce their 2017 partnership with the order of a second service operation vessel (SOV) dedicated to Hornsea Project Two offshore wind farm off the English coast. As sister vessel of the Wind of Change, the first SOV ordered by LDA in 2017, this second ship will also be designed in close cooperation with Salt Ship Design and will be built by CEMRE for a delivery in 2021. The new 84-meter-long ship will be equipped by a hybrid propulsion system using diesel generators with variable speed…

DONG Energy has chosen Esvagt as partner in establishing the first offshore wind farm to break the 1 gigawatt barrier; the 1,200 mW offshore wind farm, Hornsea 1, off Grimsby in the UK sector of the North Sea. The 'Esvagt Castor’ will work as standby vessel and man overboard rescue vessel during the building of the offshore wind farm, which currently consists of a meteorological mast and half a dozen buoys and which, in 2020, will supply CO2 neutral power to around 850,000 homes. “Activity levels in the offshore wind farm are expected to be high in the years to come while the wind farm is being established. We were chosen because of our ability to launch FRBs and rescue people in all weather conditions.

Despite being in the thick of action on many occasions, Bathurst class corvette HMAS Colac ended the Second World War with only two members of her ship’s company killed and two wounded, another amazing ship and crew being remembered 75 years on. The casualties occurred on 26 May 1945, when the ship was hit twice by Japanese artillery fire from Choiseul Island, part of the Solomon Islands group. Jim Paizis (retd), 94, of Melbourne, was a gunnery officer in Colac, which had finished a three-week operation bombarding Wewak and off-shore islands with other ships when she was sent to Choiseul Island. “Our task was to assist the Army by shelling Japanese landing barges which were transferring troops to Bougainville, where our Army was operating,” he said.

The scope of work covers all 73 turbines and the offshore substation. Offshore work is scheduled to commence this June, with CWind utilising its office in Grimsby’s Fishdock. Lee Andrews, Managing Director CWind commented: ”This is fantastic news. I am very proud of this contract award, which  recognizes  our capabilities in O&M services and is a testament to our team’s ability to deliver outstanding services and provide solutions that match our clients’ specific requirements.

ABP has confirmed £5 million investment in a purpose-built Marine Control Centre at the Port of Grimsby. The new facility, which will be arranged over four floors, will replace the existing Vessel Traffic Services centre at Spurn Point, which has become increasingly difficult to access by land because of the progressive deterioration of the peninsula. ABP Director Humber Simon Bird said: “The Spurn Peninsula is now as low-lying and unprotected as at any time in living memory and maintaining road access has been difficult. In addition to this, the regeneration of Grimsby as a major port means it requires an additional level of marine oversight and control.