Alicat & South Boats IOW, the UK’s manufacturer of state of the art Wind Farm Service Vessels (WFSVs), has received a £5.5 million, two-workboat order from Lowestoft-based operator Iceni Marine Services.
The deal, the latest in a string of contracts signed by Alicat & South Boats IOW with UK vessel operators, is an illustration of the continuing success of UK firms in the offshore wind space.
Crucially, despite tendering to low-cost competitor yards in the UK and Australia, Iceni chose to return to Alicat & South Boats IOW, which continues to offer an unrivalled technical package.
The all-new 22m South Catamaran design, which benefitted from an extensive research and development programme, was developed in collaboration with Iceni to ensure that the technical requirements of the operator were met.
The Iceni Vengeance and her sister vessel Iceni Venture will expand the Iceni fleet of South Catamarans to 6, demonstrating the strength of the ongoing relationship with Alicat & South Boats IOW.
The two vessels, which will each carry 12 technicians alongside 3 crewmembers to and from wind farm developments in UK and wider European waters, will be almost identical, but will make use of different propulsion systems.
Vengeance, to be built at the Alicat yard in Great Yarmouth, will use Hamilton water jet propulsion, with sprint speeds of up to 30 knots. Her Cowes-built sister vessel, Venture, is South Boats’ first to employ a controllable pitch propeller using Servogear, and will achieve anticipated sprint speeds of up to 32 knots.
“Commitment to custom technical innovation and the highest possible build-quality is what, we believe, will continue to differentiate British boat builders from competitors across Europe and further afield in the developing Asian market,’’ said Ben Colman, Sales and Marketing Manager at Alicat & South Boats IOW.
“It’s no secret that WFSV operators are looking for reliable, high quality vessels that are tailor-made to cope with the increasingly demanding requirements of working on offshore projects worldwide – that’s why the on-going, retained client relationship with Iceni is so significant.”
Both vessels will be delivered in March 2015.