Flexible Pod System Key to WFSV Versatility

 

OTS has worked its CTruk fleet all around the U.K. and into Europe on various wind farm projects and one of the key aspects of its busy employment has been the versatility provided by the flexible deck pod system that enables the boat to be reconfigured in a matter of hours to carry out a variety of roles.

 

“We’ve reconfigured the boats by doing such things as putting a crane on the front to pick up and transport generators and moving the wheelhouse to give us more deck space for various cargo carrying operations,” explained OTS Operations Director Nick Bright.

 

OTS ordered its first boat in late 2011, having been attracted by the fuel economy of the CTruk composite boats, with its reduced weight meaning consumption was up to 40 percent less than some alternative aluminum craft, according to the builder.

 

Since then, OTS has added to its fleet at regular intervals as demand for its boats has grown, selecting Cummins diesels as the propulsion plant driving Rolls Royce water jets.

 

Deployments have included the world’s biggest offshore wind farm at Westermost Rough off the East Yorkshire coast and other farms further south off Lowestoft, off Barrow in the north west and operating out of Sassnitz, on the Jasmund peninsula in northern Germany. Often, the boats are worked hard with some in operation round-the-clock.

 

Bright added that the versatility of the movable deck pods means the boats are suited to a wide range of tasks and have been used for crew transfer, blade inspection, paint inspection and examining turbine integrity, along with generator refueling. Between 12,000 and 16,000 liters of fuel can be carried in the catamaran’s hollow hulls.

 

“The design is good, and CTruk has been very innovative,” Bright said. “The boats are also extremely robust. They face a lot of stress pushing on to the towers and the hull forms deal with that very well. Being composite, if the hulls do get bumped and damaged, they are also very easy to repair.”