Working in a joint venture with Mainprize Offshore Ltd, Mull, Scotland-based company Inverlussa Marine Services has been awarded a two-and-a-half-year, multi-million pound contract to provide offshore support during the construction phase of the Race Bank offshore windfarm. The windfarm is being built by Dong Energy 28km off the east coast of England.
An Inverlussa/Mainprize team and vessel will work out of Grimsby and undertake a number of roles. These include: guard-asset protection; dive support; supply of fuel, food, water and spares; maintenance of meteorological buoys; debris clearance; and emergency tug services. The work will be carried out by Helen Mary, a vessel built at Macduff shipyards in Aberdeenshire, that has several features which made it suitable for the contract, including a 150 tonne crane, four-point anchoring for dive support, and a large deck which is able to carry six 20ft containers. The vessel also has a high level of redundancy. Helen Mary was built as part of a £3.5 million investment to allow Inverlussa Marine to expand into the renewables sector. Through this expansion, the company has been able to hire nine new members of staff, taking the total head count to around 50.
Inverlussa Marine Services managing director Ben Wilson said: “Winning this contract is a great start to our expansion into the renewables sector. There was a lot of competition from very experienced European vessel operators, but our vessel offered something different from the normal guard vessel.”
Dong Energy construction project manager for Race Bank, Jason Ledden said: “Dong Energy is absolutely committed to using UK suppliers whenever possible and we are very happy to be working with Inverlussa Marine Services and Mainprize Offshore Ltd on our Race Bank project. Race Bank is a significant offshore windfarm which will be capable of powering over half a million UK homes, and these two UK companies will play a vital role in construction. It is encouraging to hear that this contract has led to new staff being taken on at Inverlussa Marine Services and has helped the business kick-start its expansion into the renewables sector.”
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