VESSEL REVIEW | Wind Archer – Marco Polo Marine's CSOV to support offshore wind projects in the Far East

Singapore shipbuilder and vessel operator Marco Polo Marine recently welcomed a new commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) to its offshore support and maintenance fleet.

Built at Marco Polo’s shipyard in Batam, Indonesia, Wind Archer is the company’s first CSOV. She has been operated by Marco Polo’s Taiwan-based subsidiary PKR Offshore (PKRO) in support of customers in the Taiwanese, South Korean and Japanese offshore wind markets since April of this year.

The CSOV was developed in response to increasing demand for dedicated support vessels for the Asian offshore wind industry. This also marked Marco Polo’s entry into the offshore wind service sector after having supplied support vessels for the oil and gas industry for many years.

Fitted out for safe transfers via gangway or crewboat

Wind Archer has an LOA of 83 metres (270 feet), a beam of 21 metres (69 feet), a draught of six metres (20 feet), a total deck area of 550 square metres (5,900 square feet), a DP2 system, and accommodation for 110 personnel.

Space is also available for three daughtercraft/crewboats for transferring technicians between the CSOV and offshore wind turbines and a total warehouse area of approximately 450 square metres (4,800 square feet).

A 3D motion heave compensated and height-adjustable walk-to-work gangway with an integrated tower and lift will be used for safe transfers of cargo and personnel even in wave heights of up to 3.5 metres (11 feet). A 3D motion compensated knuckle boom crane with an SWL of five tonnes at 26 metres (85 feet) and a height-adjustable boat landing are also fitted. Both the gangway and the crane were supplied by SMST.

Operation of the various equipment on the aft deck can be directly monitored by the crew from the wheelhouse, which boasts unobstructed all-round visibility.

Hybrid power setup for greater flexibility

A hybrid diesel-electric propulsion setup with batteries serving as backup was selected for the new vessel. PKRO said that the hybrid propulsion system can reduce carbon emissions by between 15 and 20 per cent, which will enable the company to decrease its greenhouse gas emissions while also reducing fuel consumption and costs.

Caterpillar Marine worked closely with PKRO to ensure that the new CSOV would possess the power required to support comfortable accommodation and safe transfer systems while affording the flexibility to provide new services such as emergency port support, onboard inspection, SOS distress calls and maintenance.

Caterpillar therefore supplied four 3512E generators to provide auxiliary power as part of the battery hybrid system. The engine has also been configured to be methanol-ready, as PKRO intends to have the CSOV’s entire propulsion machinery setup operating on methanol as well as other fuels in the future.

A power management system will help the crew optimise energy use and fuel consumption, including during DP operations.

Full range of onboard amenities

The vessel’s onboard facilities are laid out to ensure comfort during extended deployments out at sea.

The facilities include offices, cabins, a gym, a crew lounge, a recreation room, a meeting room, a dayroom, a cinema that doubles as a briefing room, a hospital, a mess, and separate male and female changing rooms.