Renewables contract for repair yard

The order will see A&P Falmouth constructing100-tonne blade racks for two self-propelled jack-up vessels owned by Seajacks International. The vessels are purpose built for installing and maintaining offshore wind turbines, and are being converted for use on a wind farm off Liverpool. The ships – the Seajacks Leviathan and Seajacks Kraken – will arrive in Falmouth over the coming months. The yard says the contract secures dozens of skilled jobs.

Work has begun on the planning and materials stage of the contract and it is hoped the blade racks will be built by the beginning of April. The Seajacks vessels are due in Falmouth during May. While they are in the docks, A&P will undertake a full maintenance work package on the vessels.

The racks carry wind turbine blades to offshore wind farms. Once on site the four legs are lowered to the sea bed and the vessel jacked up out of the water to provide a stable platform for installing the wind turbines.

Peter Child, managing director of A&P Falmouth, said: “This is a very significant new contract for us and we are delighted to be working at the forefront of the marine renewables sector. We won the contract in stiff competition with many of the UK’s other major yards”.

Child continued: “The distinctive vessels will be quite a spectacle when they come into the docks as they are quite different from the ships people usually see on blocks. They will jack up on their legs, which makes them look like an oil rig.”