Dutch/German transmission system operator TenneT has chartered a vessel from Rhenus Offshore Logistics and A1 Offshore Solutions for supply work in German waters.
The Connector Express vessel will supply offshore platforms and support inspections and repair work to structures and subsea cables, Rhenus said.
Initially, the charter will cover six TenneT converter platforms, with three more to be added to the remit later this year. The vessel is based at the port of Emden in Germany.
Connector Express was built in 2002 and has been converted for its new assignment at the Fayard shipyard in Odense, Denmark, Rhenus said.
The conversion has added accommodation to house up to 40 technicians, deck space of over 700 square metres, a 260-AHC crane with 26-tonne lifting capacity and a 10-tonne cargo crane.
Rhenus said it is also possible to equip the vessel with two remotely operated underwater vehicles.
The vessel also has a drone platform, sonar for exploring the seabed and an ultra-short baseline underwater navigation system.
Rhenus Offshore Logistics head of chartering and marine asset management Moritz Kukel said: “We were able to beat off the competition from many competitors thanks to our unconventional approaches in the bidding structure and the associated broad knowledge about our customer’s needs; we’d like to thank TenneT Offshore for placing its trust in the concept that we’ve presented.
“We’ve found just the right partner for handling this kind of major project in A1 Offshore Solutions.”