Fred Olsen Windcarrier has signed a long term time charter with Falcon Global for the latter’s jack-up vessel Jill for work in the offshore wind sector.
The vessel (pictured) will be integrated into the Fred Olsen Windcarrier jack-up fleet for mainly operations and maintenance work in Europe.
Work in Europe will start in mid-April when Jill returns from a charter in the Gulf of Mexico.
Jill´s first job will be suction bucket installation tests out of Frederikshavn in Denmark together with Universal Foundation.
The first contracts for main component exchanges will take place shortly after arrival, Fred Olsen Windcarrier said.
The company added that Jill is a smaller and lighter jack-up vessel than the existing Terns in its fleet.
She is equipped with 102-metre long legs, a rack and pinion hydraulic jacking system, a large cargo deck, a main crane and three auxiliary cranes.
Jill can accommodate 132 people in addition to crew, but this will be limited to a total of 80 people in Europe.
The vessel is capable of transporting turbine components up to 5MW and can carry major components such as gearboxes, generators, transformers, blades and full drive trains for O&M jobs.
Fred Olsen Windcarrier chief commercial officer Casper Toft said: “With Jill joining our fleet, Fred Olsen Windcarrier can provide a competitive vessel to the O&M market for the 3-5MW offshore wind turbines.
“Jill is capable of servicing up to 80% of the installed offshore wind base and we look forward to showing the offshore wind market what this vessel is capable of.
“Apart from using her for major component exchanges within O&M, she can among other things also be used for offshore accommodation and for blade transportation.”