CTruk Flexible Pod Transforms Wind Farm Work Boats

Brightlingsea, 8 June 2011, CTruk Boats, builders of multi-purpose catamarans on the east coast, is introducing its innovative flexible pod system (patent applied) for wind farm work boats at SeaWork 2011, where it is in the final round of the Innovation Showcase.

The vessel was designed specifically to meet the varied needs of wind farm support work through a variety of removable pods. The flexible pod system has been trialled for a year whilst on charter to DONG Energy on the Walney Offshore Wind Farm, most recently on Asherah launched in March 2011.

Ben Simpson, Managing Director of CTruk Boats explains “Our design team knew there was scope to improve the types of work boats supporting the growing wind farm industry whilst keeping the safety aspect of offshore work at the forefront of the design. Asherah’s pod system enables her operators to change the vessel’s layout within a few hours to suit the work being carried out that day. By moving the wheelhouse from the front to the back for example, operators can easily adapt the vessel to ferry personnel or carry out fuel or generators.

Brian Croucher, Owner/Operator of Asherah “Rather than just being a refuelling boat, with Asherah we requested a passenger pod, separate dirty fuel and refuelling pods, a pressure washing pod and one for launching amphibious rescue craft. This means we can quickly respond to the varying demands of the wind farm support work, without compromising on safety or efficiency. In addition, none of the pods are heavy enough to cause restrictions, as the vessel has a large carrying capacity”.

CTruk prides itself on its mantra safer, better, faster, more cost-effective, which also drives innovation within the company. Focussing on safety means the team found ways to make the traditionally heavy doors on work vessels, up to 65% lighter by using a resin infusion technique. The company’s choice of Rolls Royce water jets over propellers means that Asherah is more effective in shallow drafts, but also reduces problems with debris in the water which can often result in a day a month out of action.  In addition, the jets’ Vector Stick controls are designed to be intuitive, making it easy for the skipper to use automatically, even when being bombarded with other information whilst docking at the turbine.

The composites which make up Asherah’s hull are designed to make for a smoother, more hydrodynamic shape, whilst being light and very tough. It’s the same material the RNLI uses for its fast lifeboats. This means the vessel uses less fuel and, at 30 knots, appears to be around 5 knots faster than CTruk’s competitors. Asherah was also built under DNV survey.

Tags: Asherah, Catamaran, CTruk, Flexible Pod, RNLI, Vector Stick Control, Wind Farm