The Norwegian design firm Espeland and Skomedal Naval Architects (ESNA) and Singapore-based shipbuilder Strategic Marine entered an agreement to develop a so-called surface effect ship (SES) crew boat. Construction of the first ship is supposed to start in the fourth quarter of 2024.
The vessel will be designed to support operations at offshore wind farms. Earlier the two companies have built three vessels with SES technology for oil and gas support operations. The three ships are supposed to be completed within this year. Furthermore, ESNA and Strategic Marine hope to promote the SES technology to other markets such as security and defence.
SES technology provides high transit speed, which makes transit time shorter. Moreover it provides improves seakeeping and comfort for passengers, when comparing to conventional monohulls and catamarans. Transfers to and from wind turbines can also be performed at greater wave heights.
Source: Bairdmaritime.com
