Solar Solve Marine, the British manufacturer of the "Solasolv" brand of anti-glare, heat rejecting roller screens for navigation bridge windows, has just received the penultimate order in a series of 10 vessels.
The Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRVs) which are being built at Zamakona Pasaia Astilleros in Spain are for UK based Vroon Offshore Services. In March 2011 Solar Solve Marine received the order for the VOS Vigilant, the second last vessel on order, for a quantity of 30 "Solasafe" roller screens.
"Solasafe" roller screens use a technologically advanced shade film which protects bridge crew against the effects of sun glare and solar gain whilst offering a hundred percentage completely clear outside view whilst navigating. The film is also tinted which significantly reduces eye-strain ensuring modern bridge equipment displays are easier to read, so human errors are less likely to occur.
An aluminium inhibitor which is embedded inside the layers of the film rejects heat to reduce fatigue by creating a more comfortable and cooler working environment for crew. Less demand is also placed on bridge air-conditioning systems which require additional fuel consumption to run so environmentally conscious fleet owners can benefit from fuel savings while lowering their CO₂ emissions if they install screens at every window on the bridge.
The first vessel in the fleet, 'VOS Pioneer' was delivered in 2008 and the last vessel, 'VOS Valiant' is due to be delivered in October 2011. All vessels have been built to the IMT955L Standby Safety Vessel design, each being 1,536DWT. The new vessels are currently deployed for operations in the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) as well as supporting the 'Hakuryu-10' jack-up drilling rig which is contracted to the Castor Underground Gas Storage Project in order to provide a reliable offshore gas supply to Spain. Some are also on charter contracts working with the likes of Chevron USA and TAQA Middle-East.
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