ScottishPower Renewables has signed charter agreements totalling more than £16m with two UK vessel providers to support the construction of the 1400MW East Anglia Three (EA3) offshore wind farm.
NR Marine Services will provide two crew transfer vessels (CTVs) – NR Rebellion and NR Hunter – with the Typhoon Class Rebellion taking to the water from April, and the Storm Class Hunter following later in the year.
OEG will provide support vessel Tess, which will carry out guard operations at the wind farm site.
The vessels from Caister, Norfolk-based NR Marine Services and Great Yarmouth, Norfolk-based OEG will operate out of the port of Lowestoft.
Built by Diverse Marine in the Isle of Wight, NR Rebellion is a 25-metre hybrid vessel with a service speed of 26 knots, a range of 1000 nautical miles and capacity to ferry up to 24 personnel to the construction site for the 1.4GW wind farm.
It will be the first vessel of its type employed within the Iberdrola Group.
Ross Ovens, ScottishPower Renewables’ Managing Director for Offshore, said: “It’s fantastic to have NR Marine Services and OEG on board – supporting the construction of East Anglia THREE right on their doorstep, bringing more investment and opportunity to the region and contributing to a cleaner and greener future for us all.
“It’s also terrific to be using vessels that were built here in the UK to support the country’s clean power ambitions.
“These charter agreements are testament to how the East of England can service the offshore wind industry – not just here in the UK, but right across the globe.”
Owen Nutt, Director NR Marine Services, said: “It’s exciting to be supporting ScottishPower and East Anglia THREE right here on our home turf.
“This is the biggest charter we’ve ever signed up to and it’s a real show of confidence not just in NR Marine Services, but in what this region can offer the offshore wind industry as a whole.”
George Moore, Business Development Director for OEG, said: “We are, of course, thrilled to build upon the support we are delivering to the East Anglia THREE project, adding to the range of subsea, topside and marine services we are already delivering to the offshore windfarm’s construction phase.
“Having supported ScottishPower Renewables for a number of years now, OEG has been able to establish firm roots in the region, and this contract further strengthens our commitment to the East of England.
“It is a source of great pride here at OEG that our collaboration with ScottishPower Renewables continues to flourish as our shared commitment to developing a truly robust local supply chain endures. We now look forward to delivering a safe and efficient project.”