VESSEL REVIEW | Zwerver V – Large, shallow-draught workboat for Dutch renewables support provider

Netherlands-based renewables support specialist Van Stee Offshore has taken delivery of a new near-shore capable, multi-purpose vessel built by Albwardy Damen in the UAE.

Zwerver V belongs to a new series of large workboats capable of undertaking a range of projects in support of customers in the renewables and oil and gas sectors in waters as shallow as three metres. The Bureau Veritas-classed design was developed by the Damen Shipyards Group from the outset to perform duties including maintenance, construction, supply, buoy installation, dive support, anchor handling, general towing, route clearance, cable laying and repair, subsea inspection, survey, beach pulling, and deployment and recovery of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

Zwerver V has an LOA of 80 metres, a moulded beam of 20 metres, a minimum draught of three metres, a depth of 5.5 metres, a gross tonnage of 3,807, accommodations for 60 crewmembers and other personnel, and 800 square metres of free deck space for transporting up to 2,200 tonnes of assorted payloads including containerised cargo. The open deck has an array of equipment that includes Heila and Scaldon cranes with active heave compensation as well as tugger winches. Space is also available for a 12-person fast rescue craft and landing facilities for use with crewboats transferring personnel to and from offshore platforms.

The workboat is also fitted with two moonpools for ROV deployment, a four-point mooring system, a foam/water spray dispenser, and two FFS remote-controlled firefighting monitors at the stern. A Kongsberg Maritime DP2 system is installed along with a laser reference system to ensure more accurate positioning.

The vessel has a diesel-electric propulsion setup consisting of four Caterpillar C32 940ekW generators, two Caterpillar C18 565ekW generators, and two Schottel 1,400kW fixed-pitch propellers housed in azimuthing thrusters. This configuration delivers a maximum speed of 11.5 knots and a bollard pull of 60 tonnes. Schottel also supplied a 765kW tunnel thruster and an 800kW drop-down azimuthing thruster to provide the vessel with additional lateral manoeuvrability for positioning, berthing/unberthing, and navigating in restrictive waters. A Caterpillar C7.1 ACERT 138ekW generator is also available for backup use.

The accommodation spaces include six single and 27 two-person cabins, meeting rooms, a mission control room, and client offices. All interior spaces are kept comfortable during extended operations thanks to a Heinen and Hopman HVAC system.