Damen delivers fast crew supplier to support Pioneering Spirit

Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards Group has delivered a fast crew supplier to Allseas for support of the giant heavy lift vessel – the Pioneering Spirit.

Damen said on Tuesday that it delivered the fast crew supplier designated FCS 1605 to Allseas on Monday, 14 June.

The fast crew supplier named Ricochet will perform fast crew and personnel transfers to the Pioneering Spirit, the vessel hailed as the largest construction vessel in the world.

The company added that Damen signed the contract for the vessel on 15 March. The delivery was fast due to Damen’s practise of building its vessels in series for stock.

When Allseas placed its order with Damen, the FCS 1605 was already built. To prepare it for delivery, Damen has fitted the vessel with the latest in lightweight fender technology. Damen has also supplied Allseas with the cradles with which to lift the vessel aboard the Pioneering Spirit.

Ricochet will replace two older vessels that currently perform its role. It will join a Damen Pushy Cat 804, named Nutshell, already aboard the Pioneering Spirit. This vessel performs several duties in support of the vessel, including line handling.

Marius Huige, Allseas’ head of technical services, said: “We needed a vessel with sufficient seats that could move at high speeds and yet be fuel-efficient.

“The lightweight aluminium design of the FCS 1650 takes care of this. What’s more, due to Damen having the vessel in stock, we were able to take delivery very quickly”.

Damen sales manager for Benelux Joost van der Weiden added: “We are very pleased to deliver this vessel to Allseas to support the work of the iconic Pioneering Spirit. The FCS 1605 has proven to be a strong and successful design and I have every confidence that it will meet Allseas’ requirements perfectly. On behalf of Damen, I wish Allseas all the best with Ricochet”.

Pioneering Spirit was designed in-house by Allseas for the installation and decommissioning of offshore structures. Capable of lifting platform topsides of up to 48,000 tons and jackets up to 20,000 tons in a single piece, the twin-hulled vessel is 382 metres long and 124 metres wide.