Amongst great public interest, the vessels ‘Aquata’ and ‘Arista’ were named at the port of Ostend. Ms Evi Van Acker, Belgian sailor and bronze medal winner at the London 2012 Olympics, accepted to be godmother to the ‘Arista’. Mrs Sabine Cartrysse, spouse of Mr Kris Vanmassenhove, accepted to be godmother to the ‘Aquata’. The christening also marked the launch of GeoSea subsidiary Offshore & Wind Assistance (OWA).
Damen Shipyards of Gorinchem in the Netherlands was responsible for the detailed design, construction and delivery of the auxiliary vessels ‘Aquata’ and ‘Arista’. Measuring almost 26 m in length and 10 m in width, these so-called ‘Fast Crew Suppliers’ are equipped with a 3 ton capacity crane. The unique ‘Sea Axe’ hull shape patented by Damen Shipyards allows for high speeds even in rough waters. In addition, the ‘Aquata’ and ‘Arista’ have a very large carrying capacity in comparison to other, similar vessels, making them extremely suitable for quick transport of large quantities of goods and personnel.
The first mission of the ‘Aquata’ and the ‘Arista’ will take them to the Thornton Bank off the Belgian coast, where earlier this year with the use of the DP2 jack-up vessel ‘Neptune’, parent company GeoSea installed already 30 wind turbines for the second and third stages of the C-power offshore wind farm. In the summer of 2011 OWA signed a long term contract with Repower for the support of the maintenance of all wind turbines at C-Power wind farm. For a period of 10 years OWA will be the exclusive provider of all crew transfer vessels for the regular inspections and maintenance as well as all jack up vessels which from time to time may be required for overhauls or repairs of larger components.
Offshore & Wind Assistance (OWA) is looking to further strengthen its position at the forefront of companies specialising in supplying and maintaining wind farms at sea. Auxiliary vessels ‘Aquata’ and ‘Arista’ form an essential part of the strategy to realise that objective.
Deployment of the ‘Aquata’ and the ‘Arista’ and the further growth of Offshore and Wind Assistance (OWA) will provide additional employment in the form of operational and technical maintenance and local employment for third parties on the coast.
The new vessels ‘Aquata’ and ‘Arista’ are named after two of the seven daughters of Triton, the king of the sea who, together with his brothers, reigned over the sea under the watchful eye of their father, god of the sea Poseidon – Neptune in Roman mythology.
Princesses Aquata and Arista helped King Triton in fulfilling his task; their main qualities included helpfulness, integrity, a sense of responsibility and foresight – features that perfectly match the goals and values of Offshore & Wind Assistance (OWA).
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DEME, November 8, 2012