Page 45: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q4 2013)

Walk to Work vessel,? said van Os, refer- ring to a new class of vessel aptly coined the Wind Farm Service Vessel (WSV). The purpose of the vessel is to support and accommodate turbine maintenance crews at sea and allow them to ?Walk-to- Work.? After industry-wide consultation, the vessel has been designed from  rst principles to provide on-site work facili- ties and accommodation for 45 mainte-nance personnel plus 15 crewmembers, for voyages of up to one month. Addi- tionally, he said, Damen is building an offshore carrier for Van Oord in a pipe- laying out t for windfarms. Peter Robert, Damen?s business de- velopment manager offshore wind, said, ?The Damen W2W can as well be used in the Offshore Oil & Gas business, be- cause we have foreseen a suitable tank arrangement in order to service the un-manned platforms in the North Sea.? Robert further explained that Damen already possesses a number of offshore wind products, including the Twin Axe 2610, 2008; DOC-range (based on this design, Damen is currently building a cable layer for Van Oord); a dedicated Array Cable layer; and a Damen Walk to Work vessel.? Next to be added to the company?s portfolio, Robert said, are a Maintenance Jack-Up for offshore wind, in addition to further looking into installing foundations with a free  oat-ing vessel on dynamic positioning, re- moving Jack-Ups from these kind of activities. Proven Methods for a Changing Market As far as Damen is concerned, it really doesn?t matter what the mark et brings. Its time-tested standardized hull system, bolstered by the  rm?s solid series build record, will produce results for any niche. As new Damen products geared toward offshore operation emerge, the group will continue to challenge the modes of niche builders in the specialty offshore sector. ?Over time, we can say to have set a new Damen Standard, like we have done with our tugs and other workboats,? van Os said. Few would ar- gue with his logic. Arguably, fewer still can compete with Damen?s results. World Diamond is a strong card in Damen?s Offshore hand. MP #4 34-49.indd 45MP #4 34-49.indd 4512/11/2013 1:32:34 PM12/11/2013 1:32:34 PM