'Returning to Ulstein Verft with an order for a new sister vessel is a strong signal of the importance of the yard's track record in quality and delivery precision.'
Rob Boer, Acta Marine
The contract was announced at the Offshore Wind Journal Conference on 6 February 2018. The steel cutting ceremony was held on 15 February 2018.
"Our first CSV, Acta Auriga, at Ulstein Verft will go for sea trials shortly, and we are very pleased with the progress of this project. Returning to Ulstein Verft with an order for a new sister vessel is a strong signal of the importance of the yard's track record in quality and delivery precision, which is very important to us as ship owner and to our clients. We are quite convinced that the Acta SX195 vessels will create higher efficiency in offshore logistics operations and thus reduce the overall cost of constructing windfarms and, also, contribute towards a higher uptime of the installed base of offshore wind" states Rob Boer, managing director at Acta Marine.
"Acta Marine is firmly positioned in the renewable, and offshore oil & gas, markets. They challenged us in designing a highly flexible and compact vessel, with high capacities for long-term operations in the field, and this vessel is soon to be completed. We look forward to cooperate with Acta Marine again, to bring forward another highly successful W2W construction support vessel," states CEO Gunvor Ulstein, Ulstein Group.
Optimised on-board logistics
The SX195 type designed, 93.4m long and 18m wide vessel is optimised for offshore wind. It has a large, centrally positioned SMST provided walk to work motion compensated gangway & elevator tower for personnel and cargo transfers. And further a 3D compensated SMST crane capable of 6-ton cargo lifts. The optimised on-board logistics includes large storage capacities, of which half is under roof in a controlled environment, and stepless approach to the offshore installations. The vessel is equipped with a fuel-efficient drive system. In addition, a helideck will be fitted. With all main equipment and operations in the aft ship, the vessel will naturally operate astern while in-field. Keeping the X-STERN® towards the weather, there will be no slamming, noise or vibrations caused by the waves. The crew will get complete rest between shifts.
Accommodation
The vessel can accommodate up to 120 persons. The facilities on board are modern and of a high quality and support a home away from home atmosphere.
Also attractive for O&M assignments
"Acta Marine is stepping up its activities in offshore wind. These ship designs are flexible and attractive for work within areas such as O&M (Operation and Maintenance) or construction support especially in challenging weather and sea conditions" says Rob Boer.
Safe transfer of service crews - high performance workability
The vessels are capable of year-round, North Sea offshore operations in up to 3m significant wave heights. The safe transfer of service crews, cargo and spare parts, the in-field flexibility and high comfort are highly cherished by the charterers. The flexibility of these vessels improves the productivity when servicing the offshore wind farms.
"We are delighted to receive the feedback from Acta Marine and their trust placed in us with their new shipbuilding contract at Ulstein Verft. As always, we will yet again focus on quality and delivery time and will do our utmost to deliver a state of the art, walk to work offshore wind service vessel to serve in the Acta Marine fleet," says managing director Kristian Sætre in Ulstein Verft.
The vessel is scheduled for delivery Q2 2019.
Acta Marine was recently awarded a 2-year charter for vessel number one, the Acta Auriga, for O&M operations at BARD Offshore 1, Germany.
