EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG and Wallaby Boats GmbH today celebrated the christening of the Impulse offshore transfer vessel at the Port of Kappeln in the presence of Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Dr. Robert Habeck. Both companies jointly launched the vessel, which features a new type of suspension system. It allows technicians to safely access offshore wind turbines even in heavy seas. At the same time, it is more economical than previous transfer vessels. EnBW has purchased the Suspension Crew Transfer Vessel for accessing its Baltic 2 offshore wind farm. From May, it will take the first employees to their workplace at sea.
EnBW CEO Dr. Georg Stamatelopoulos explained: “With innovative technologies, we are setting new standards for safe and efficient operations at sea. The Impulse Suspension Crew Transfer Vessel transfer vessel will help us to produce electricity even more reliably and cost-effectively using offshore wind energy in the future. With the vessel having been developed and built in Schleswig-Holstein, we are also pleased to have been able to capitalize on the technical expertise and quality standards of Germany as a business location.”
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Dr. Robert Habeck, emphasized: “The Impulse transfer vessel is a pioneering piece of German engineering. Our aim is for offshore wind farms with a total output of 30 GW to generate electricity in Germany by 2030. To achieve this, we are going to need even more vessels like this one – an opportunity for industrial growth in our country and a chance to decarbonize our energy system.”
Julia Carstens, Schleswig-Holstein’s State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Technology, said: “With Impulse, start-up Wallaby Boats GmbH is proving that young companies can bring innovative technologies to market. Besides bringing added value to the region, the new vessel also makes the transfer to offshore platforms much safer for personnel. I am particularly pleased that this new hull technology was embraced in Schleswig-Holstein, adopted by Wallaby Boats and the Hitzler shipyard and realized in Schleswig-Holstein with the help of a broad financial network.”
Harald Hübner, Managing Director of OFFCON GmbH, said: “As a family business from the small town of Kappeln, together with all our backers and supporters, we are delighted to have been able to develop such an innovative vessel and now to bring it to the world’s oceans in several improved versions. We would never have got this far without the support of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and EnBW. We are very grateful for this.” Wallaby Boats GmbH is a spin-off of OFFCON GmbH.
