Spending More Time at Sea
Margins are tight for vessels that operate offshore or in coastal waters. Take the global offshore support vessel (OSV) market for example, it looks set to be yet another challenging year which has concerned senior executives preparing for a sixth year of downturn. Many had hoped that 2019 would be the year that marked a turning point in OSV fortunes, but the uptick hasn’t materialized, and there is renewed anxiety about what could potentially be the worst market since the 1980s.It…
Damen Expands Rix Sea Shuttle Offshore Fleet
U.K.-based Rix Sea Shuttle will shortly take delivery of their first ever Damen vessel – a Fast Crew Supplier 2610 – to support its growing involvement in the offshore crew transfer market. The new vessel, the Rix Lion, is due for delivery on July 4, six weeks after the contract was signed. “Our yards in Singapore and Vietnam build the FCS 2610 as a stock model,” said Damen Sales Manager United Kingdom & Ireland Arjen van Elk. “As such, we can offer our clients very fast delivery times.” This particular vessel was constructed at Damen Shipyards Singapore.
UK Offshore Wind Farm Support Vessel Launched
First of five boats ordered by Rix Sea Shuttle launched in Grimsby, NE England. The vessel will be employed in the transport of maintenance engineers to and from offshore wind turbines in the North Sea. Each of the aluminium vessels will be crewed and operated by Rix and are designed to carry up to 12 technicians at a speed of up to 25 knots. The remaining boats are to be delivered next year and in 2014, representing a £7.5m investment by the Hull-based company in the UK’s burgeoning renewable industry.
