Gulf Marine Services’ Self Elevating Support Vessel (SESV) GMS Evolution has joined her sister vessel GMS Endeavour in the Port of Blyth to undergo mobilisation prior to heading out to the 1.2GW Hornsea Project One offshore wind farm.
GMS Evolution arrived at the Port of Blyth onboard the OHT Albatross, the largest ever vessel to call at this UK east coast port.
In April 2017, Ørsted, the owner and developer of the Hornsea One wind farm, contracted Gulf Marine Services UK to provide two offshore accommodation vessels for technicians constructing the wind farm.
Located some 120 kilometres off Yorkshire, the Hornsea Project One will comprise 174 Siemens 7MW wind turbines, three offshore substations and a reactive compensation station (RCS), scheduled for commissioning in 2020.
The two SESVs will provide accommodation for up to 150 technicians, as well as access via a static gangway to the wind farm’s three substations and the RCS.
Besides providing a place for those commissioning the substations to stay, one of the vessels will be fitted with a boat landing system, enabling transfers to crew transfer vessels.
This will create an offshore hub, allowing technicians working on other areas of the wind farm, such as the wind turbines, to stay on the same vessel, GMS said.