MHI Vestas Offshore Wind

Challenge

One of the world’s leading wind turbine design, manufacturer, installer and service providers, MHI Vestas required off-shore accommodation and crew transfer capabilities for their technician and O&M teams in routine maintenance work at the Belwind OWF wind farm, 29 nm from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. Required for just over seven months.

Solution

The newly refurbished vessel MV Bluefort made her wind debut, providing accommodation, catering and 24/7 crew transfer services for upwards of 75 engineers, technicians and support staff during routine maintenance of the Belwind OWF wind farm located on Bligh Bank. Utilizing the outfitted Crew Transfer platform on the aft of the vessel, teams were able to perform work at any time of the day, successfully completing more than 11,000 safe crew transfers over the duration of the project.

With minimal visits to port, the Bluefort was equipped with all the provisions and stores necessary to maintain the high level of service expected by the client. Our Executive Chef and the galley team worked to create a menu and offerings that were culturally relevant to not only our area of operation, but also the homelands of our residents. Activities such as fitness and video game competitions were organized, as well as trivia nights to keep residents entertained, along with the many lounges located throughout the vessel. Daily housekeeping was provided with wash-and-fold laundry service, ensuring that our client was ready for the day ahead. Additionally, our client was able to utilize the 2,262 square meters of deck space on the car deck to act as a staging area, work shop and drying rooms for the 19 sea-cans required to be fully self-sustainable while at sea.