HST Marine enters towage sector

Swansea, Wales-headquartered HST Marine operates fast crew transfer vessels for the offshore wind sector in the UK, Dutch and Danish sectors.

This new workboat, to be named HST Hazel, will offer coastal towage, survey work and maintenance work from Q4 2021 when it is scheduled for delivery.

“We want to offer clients the same HST quality within the marine logistics and general marine contracting fields as we do in the crew transfer segment,” said HST director Tom Nevin.

HST is acquiring a vessel built to Damen’s Multi Cat 2309 design to offer these diverse marine services.

This 23-m Multi Cat 2309 will be the first in a new mid-range multicat design from Damen, a range which highlights the increasing crossover in vessel design and operations within offshore renewables and marine services.

HST Hazel will support floating wind projects and also buoy maintenance, marine equipment testing and provide vessel towage.

“We see the Multi Cat 2309 as a real multi-role vessel, offering our customers unique capabilities and versatility,” said Mr Nevin. “We know their versatility – they can cover so much.”

Damen is tailoring a standard Multi Cat 2309 design for HST’s requirements, installing Volvo Penta engines with added efficiency and emissions reduction capabilities which can be retrofitted to comply with IMO Tier III emissions requirements. Damen also upgraded the vessel’s bow thruster capabilities to optimise manoeuvrability.

On the deck, Damen will install a 5-tonne pull winch with 40-m line and a heavy-duty crane with a lifting capacity of 25.1 tonnes at 5.8 m outreach, and 8.1 tonnes at 14.1 m outreach. On the aft deck, Damen will incorporate a tugger winch with 12 tonnes pull, capable of fitting 100 m of steel wire.

Other adjustments include enhanced crew comforts such as en suite cabins with satellite television and high-speed internet connectivity with Inmarsat L-band system and VSAT.

This vessel is being constructed at Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld in the Netherlands and is scheduled for delivery at the end of 2021.

HST expects to increase its workboat fleet in the future. It has four crew transfer vessels in the existing fleet, including Damen FCS 2710 design vessels, and two more being upgraded after purchasing them from Gardline. HST also has a new hybrid Chartwell 24 crew transfer vessel on order from UK-based builder Diverse Marine.

Offshore vessels and towage services will be discussed during Riviera’s diverse series of Webinar Weeks and virtual conferences during 2021 - use this link to access details and register for December 2020 events