Page 93: of Marine News Magazine (November 2012)

Tidal Transit has placed an order for the third, in its potential ß eet of ten, innovative wind farm crew transfer vessels. To be named Tia Elizabeth, this new vessel will be built to exactly the same high speciÞ cation as its two sister craft, Ginny Louise and Eden Rose, apart from the Þ tment of a rear crane which can be used for the deployment of a rescue craft, such as an inß atable rib. These vessels are purpose-designed for use by companies involved in the planning, development and construction of offshore wind farms in the Greater Wash and the North Sea, and are built to cope with the rough seas, and the subsequent difÞ cult working conditions, encountered by this burgeoning North Sea energy industry. Tia Elizabeth will be built by Mercurio Plastics, the same boat builder that built its two sister vessels, and Tidal Transit is expecting to take delivery of her during March 2013. The speciÞ cation of these vessels greatly exceeds the current ß eet being used for the same purpose in the UK. The vessels MCA Cat 1 coding and 10,000 liter fuel tanks allow them to work up to 150 miles offshore, well within the range of the UKÕs forthcoming Round 3 offshore wind farms. Each vessel provides four crew members and twelve passengers with comfortable beds, bathrooms, galley, internet access and entertainment facilities, allowing wind farm engineers and support technicians to live and work offshore for up to several days at a time. Being of rugged GRP construction enables Tidal TransitÕs vessels to operate in rough seas - a major advantage when working in the North Sea. Twin V12 MAN engines facilitate speeds of up to 27 knots when carrying twelve passengers, the crew, and their on- board cargo. Massive cargo decks fore and aft can accommodate up to 10,000kg of tools, equipment and spares, and the Guerra crane on the fore deck has a lifting capacity of 1,025kg at 6.9m, which caters for long reach loading and unloading. Cranes can also be deployed for camera surveys and grab sampling. VESSELSTidal Transit Grows as Wind Energy Soars MN 93www.marinelink.com MNNov2012 Layout 82-95.indd 93MNNov2012 Layout 82-95.indd 9311/7/2012 2:50:34 PM11/7/2012 2:50:34 PM