Supply vessel for offshore activities enters service
A supply vessel with extensive functions has started service for Rhenus Offshore Logistics, working in conjunction with A1 Offshore Solutions. The customer TenneT uses the ship for supply trips to offshore platforms as well as inspections and repair work on structures and submarine cables from the base port of Emden.
The “Connector Express”, which was constructed in 2002, was converted for its new assignment at Fayard shipyard in Odense, Denmark, between October and December 2018. The vessel is equipped with an accommodation module to house as many as 40 technicians. It has free deck space measuring more than 700 sqm, a 26-AHC crane with a lifting capacity of up to 26 tonnes and a cargo rail crane with a maximum hoisting capacity of ten tonnes. It also has a drone platform, a sonar device for exploring the seabed and an ultra-short baseline underwater navigation system. For the moment, the vessel will mainly be used for six converter platforms in German waters, which are operated by TenneT and have to be supplied with food and spare parts. Three more platforms will probably be added to the list in 2019. (kd)