2019-built survey catamaran changes owner, set to serve European offshore wind

Surveying and mapping services provider Darkocean has added a multi-role workboat/survey catamaran to its fleet which will be used for offshore wind projects across the UK and Northern Europe.

Darkocean has taken delivery of the 10-meter-long Coastal Observer from Purus, formerly known as HST Workboats, with the vessel set to be stationed in Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Designed by Chartwell Marine and built by Diverse Marine in Cowes in 2019, the MCA Cat 2 vessel is said to be equipped to perform a wide range of operations including analog geophysics and ROV surveys.

“We are thrilled to add the Coastal Observer to our fleet,” said Anupam Thakur, CEO of Darkocean. “This vessel significantly enhances our operational capabilities and enables us to offer a complete suite of hydrography, geophysical, and Ultra High-Res Seismic surveys from a smaller AI-enabled platform.”

Coastal Observer has an overall beam of 5.73 meters, 5.57T deadweight, two Volvo Penta D7A TA main engines, 348 kW installed power, and can reach a speed of 11.5 knots.

The vessel will be equipped with an ultra-short baseline, single and multi-beam echo sounders, sub-bottom profiler, a side scan sonar, a magnetometer, as well as Sparker sound source.

“The addition of the Coastal Observer underscores our commitment to expanding our fleet with advanced technology,” said Sagar Jadwani, Chairman of the Board at Darkocean. “We are dedicated to supporting offshore wind projects across the UK and Northern Europe, contributing to the renewable energy sector’s growth.”

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