Damen AHTS for Med Offshore

Med Offshore (MO) has ordered a Damen 6615 AHTS from the Damen Offshore series. This is the second time MO has ordered an AHTS from Damen, following the AHTS 6114, Med Otto, which was delivered in September 2006. Construction of the 6615 AHTS vessel will take place at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania for a scheduled delivery in 2009.

Med Offshore, an Italian shipping company owned by the Garolla family, operates a fleet supply boats and anchor handlers. The newly ordered vessel will form part of the fleet renewal programme which started with the acquisition of Med Otto.

The vessel will be mainly deployed in the Mediterranean, but is designed and equipped for worldwide service. The newbuilding will have a length overall of 66.95m, breadth of 15.00m, depth of 6.75m, draught (design) of 5.50m, speed of approximately 15 knots, bollard pull of 120 tons and a deadweight of approximately 1,800 tonnes with working deck of 400m2. She will carry approximately 750 tons of deck cargo.

The machinery will take the form of two MaK 8M32C engines of 4,000kW each, driving Rolls-Royce controllable pitch propellers in Damen Optima nozzles. Each gearbox will have a 1,200kW shaft alternator.

The vessel will be equipped with a Rolls-Royce Brattvaag waterfall winch, having a pull of 250 tons. The vessels will be classed by BV and will comply with the requirements of the Italian flag, and among other regulations, with the latest amendments to the IMO resolution A673(16), “Guidelines for the Transport and Handling of Limited amounts of Hazardous and Noxious Liquid Substances in Bulk on Offshore Support Vessels.”

The notation for the vessels includes FiFi-1 and DP-2. Ample tank capacity is available for fuel oil, potable water, ballast and drill water, dry bulk, liquid mud, brine and recovered oil. Accommodation is provided for 29 in single, double and quadruple cabins.