More Access Months Per Year For Wind Farm Operators
In March next year Mobimar will deliver its first trimaran crew transfer vessel – the Mobimar 18 Wind – to Meriaura. The new vessel is stated to challenges current practices by making offshore wind farms accessible for 96 more days per year. “The Mobimar 18 Wind truly meets the demands of the wind farm industry. It is classified to seastate 4.0 Hs , and provides safe transfers for service engineers in significant wave heights up to 2.5 m”, says Mobimar’s Pauli Immonen.
When the significant wave height reaches over 1.5 m out at the wind farms, most of the currently used vessels do not leave the harbour due to the potentially dangerous disembarkation at the turbines. according to Mobimar. Their crew transfer vessel is claimed to be the exception to the rule. Thanks to its three slim hulls, it operates safely and remains stable also in harsh weather conditions. The cabin is comfortable, with a low noise level and seats for twelve passengers.
Intelligent Gripper System
To prevent hazardous situations at the wind turbine and enable a safe disembarkation, Mobimar invented an intelligent gripper system in the bow. While others have to push with full throttle against the wind turbine structure to stay put, this vessel can approach the turbine from either side and run idle during disembarkation. The hydraulics keep the landing platform in position and the water jets in the side hulls make the vessel easily manoeuvrable. The Mobimar 18 Wind trimaran is also stated to be much less sensitive for rolling and slamming than monohulls and catamarans.
Lower Fuel Consumption
The slim hulls offer less water resistance, which leads to lower fuel consumption. This is emphasised by the fact that the crew transfer trimaran has one main 750 kW engine Compared to a double-engine catamaran, these features are claimed to reduce the fuel consumption costs by more than EUR 200 per hour.
Extensive Model Tests
The Mobimar 18 Wind has undergone extensive model tests at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. The vessel measures 18 m in length, the beam is 8.5 m. The large deck space can be used for transport of maintenance equipment and as a workspace for work that cannot be carried out at the wind turbines. Mobimar 18 Wind is designed and built by Mobimar in Turku, Finland and will be classed by Bureau Veritas, DNV or equivalent.