Tidal Transit, a leading UK-based operator of purpose-built crew transfer vessels (CTVs), celebrated the christening of its newest vessel, Anthea Luna. The vessel commenced operations in March under its first contract with Belgian offshore wind farm operator CPower.
The new WindFlex 27 Quad IPS model, delivered by Singapore-based Penguin International in March, will provide essential service and maintenance support to Thornton Bank wind farm. Situated 30km off the Belgian coast, Thornton Bank was the country’s first wind farm to enter operations and consists of 54 wind turbines generating 325 megawatts (MW) of renewable electricity.
Based on the CPower’s positive previous experience with Volvo Penta IPS propulsion the company chartered Anthea Luna before arrival. Tailored to suit CPower’s specific requirements, she has high fuel efficiency and durability to accommodate Thornton Bank’s distance from the shore. Her future-proofed hull design and onboard systems also make her ‘electric-ready’ – retrofittable to run on zero-emissions power as the industry transitions to electrification.
Leo Hambro, director of Tidal Transit, commented: “CPower’s trust in our capability to provide high-specification crew transfer is a huge endorsement. As the industry increasingly adopts more sustainable, low carbon technologies, we’re proud to deliver a vessel that not only offers the highest levels of fuel efficiency today, but one that’s also ready to join the electric fleet of tomorrow.”
Stijn Deprez, asset & contract manager of CPower said, “Thornton Bank generates 1,000 Gigawatt-hours (GWh) of renewable energy yearly, equal to the electricity consumption of 300,000 families. To help maintain such an important site, we needed a solution which offered the highest levels of reliability, durability, transferability and fuel efficiency. Anthea Luna offers all this and more. We are confident that she’ll play an integral role supporting our operational challenges we face especially in our unique in-house maintenance set-up.”
