Equinor has chartered Seacat Columbia (built in 2022), a new BarTech 30 crew transfer vessel (CTV), from Seacat Services, for operations at its operated offshore wind farms in Norfolk. Seacat Columbia is a UK-designed, built, flagged, owned and operated CTV.The charter will cover service at the 317 MW Sheringham Shoal Offshore Wind Farm and the 402 MW Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm, both operated by Equinor on behalf of its partners from its operations and maintenance hub in Great Yarmouth. Seacat Columbia was designed by marine engineering consultancy Bar Technologies, and built at Diverse Marine Shipyard on the Isle of Wight. With its multi-hull 30m ProA design, and its Foil Optimised Stability System (FOSS), the CTV can achieve greater fuel efficiency that can cut carbon dioxide emissions by up to 1200 tonnes per annum when working on the 24-hour charter of operation. By minimising vessel motion, the CTV can see an average increase in stability across all sea states of up to 70% over a typical operational profile.
