Page 42: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q4 2013)

42 | Maritime Professional | 4Q 2013of the Edda Fide in 2011, capable of handling over 600 men offshore and stationkeeping ca- pability powered with Þ ve Voith propellers of 12,500 kW and two 1450 kW bow thrusters forward. Highclere Ltd, the new owners of the Bluefort, has recently completed continued conversion upgrades to their 141 meter, 450 man vessel in Naples, Italy with the help of Alternative Marine Technologies (Amtech). Kongsberg Maritime attended to make recom- mendations to improve the vesselÕs DP Plot. U.S. OutÞ tters of Jacksonville, Florida attend- ed to renew and upgrade 70 plus cabins and Rolls Royce and MAN attended for continued overhauls and repairs to the thruster and pro- pulsion engines.Up NextThe next generation Offshore Accommoda- tion V essel (OAV) with examples designed by Salt Ship Design, are 155 meters long and will have a total accommodation capacity exceed- ing 800 persons, all housed in one or two man cabins. The vessel standard now requires a liv- ing space of Òexecutive standardÓ and includes ofÞ ce space as well as recreation areas, such as a modern gym, sauna, two swimming pools, conference rooms and an auditorium. Existing vessels will likely need to continue to upgrade their conversions to meet or exceed these stan- dards. These vessels will provide construction support and additional living quarters for sup- port personnel during commissioning, mainte-nance and decommissioning of offshore instal- lations worldwide and are now being designed for operating in the Arctic. In a case where the market deÞ ned the de- mand, vessel conversions are meeting the growing needs of a burgeoning offshore mar- ket. And this can include a variety of require- ments. In the United States, for example, not one offshore wind farm Ð in stark contrast to the dozens in and around Europe Ð has yet to be constructed. That said, when the Þ rst one does go into construction, the speedy comple-tion of the project will be paramount. That might mean the need to keep labor on site for extended periods of time. Regardless of the reason for an offshore labor presence, the day of the OAV has arrived. Converted or Þ t for purpose, the advantages are many and the drawbacks, few. SHIP CONVERSIONSRolls Royce thrusters; Kongsberg controls. Bridge deck modiÞ ed to comply with ECDIS and DP2 sta- tion keeping.MP #4 34-49.indd 42MP #4 34-49.indd 4212/11/2013 1:26:52 PM12/11/2013 1:26:52 PM