DEME charters floatel to pre-quarantine offshore crews

DEME Group has chartered a floatel for pre-quarantine for crews working on offshore wind and dredging vessels. The hotel ship, moored in Ostend, Belgium, will be in service as of this weekend.

“This pre-quarantine allows DEME to prevent the risk of the coronavirus spreading on board and to guarantee the health of its employees. It also enables crews who have been on board for longer than expected to return to their families”, the company states.

Those getting back to work will spend two weeks in pre-quarantine aboard the floatel. Social contact and activities on board will be strictly regulated.

The company did not disclose which hotel ship it chartered for this purpose.

DEME already has a COVID-19-related measure in place that restricts crew changes on board until 17 April. Now, using a floating hotel will allow for safe crew changes after that date.

“During this crisis, DEME continues to look for solutions to ensure the health and safety of its employees, to continue to carry out projects in a responsible manner”, the company said.

The pre-quarantine procedure involves crew changes in small groups and according to a strict schedule. DEME will separate crews from different vessels until they return to their dredger or offshore vessel, according to the company.

Currently, DEME is working on the Belgian SeaMade offshore wind farm, located some 50 kilometres off Ostend. The company is in charge of installing the project’s foundations, wind turbines, inter-array cables, export cables and two offshore substations.