Holyhead Towing Company Ltd. from Holyhead/Wales and OPUS MARINE GmbH (Opus) from Hamburg/Germany have announced the start-up of a joint venture company to further address the German offshore wind market. The new company will have its headquarters in Hamburg and trade under the already established name “WindFarmBase”.
With this step, Opus and WindFarmBase will significantly expand their fleet of dedicated offshore crew transfer vessels while for Holyhead, already a European market leader for shallow draft workboats, and crew transfer boats under the Turbine Transfers’ name, this cooperation is real move forward into the growing German market. “It’s a logical step and underlines our proven and reliable collaboration” says Bernhard Messer, MD of Opus . “We’re really looking forward to our new company and to play an even more active role in the German wind market.”
WindFarmBase will own and operate a fleet of crew transfer and other dedicated offshore vessels. New vessel designs and proven ship concepts will unite under this new enterprise. “ Between us, we are already active on most of the German wind farms” , says Mark Meade, MD of Holyhead . “But we want to work more closely with Opus, we want to be part of a German company for the German market.”
[mappress] World Maritime News Staff, December 7, 2011; Image: Holyhead