Wagenborg Offshore has signed an agreement for the deployment of a walk to work emergency response and rescue vessel (W2W ERRV). This fourth walk to work vessel in the Wagenborg fleet will be operated by Wagenborg Offshore as a standby and support vessel for inspection and maintenance of unmanned platforms in the southern North Sea.
Conversion
An existing PX121 platform supply ship – currently named ‘Hermit Viking’ – will be converted into the walk to work vessel within 20 weeks at shipyard Royal Niestern Sander in Delfzijl. In this period, approximately 80 employees will work on the innovative conversion of the ship, which will give an impulse to the regional employment. The Hermit Viking will be equipped with an additional accommodation module for 40 people. Also a motion compensated gangway will be installed to comply with all requirements.
Early Q2 2022, the ship will be christened and the name will be revealed, after which it will set to work in the Southern North Sea.
Market leader
With four operational walk to work vessels on the North Sea, Wagenborg can be considered as one of the market leaders in this offshore niche. In 2018 Wagenborg delivered ‘Kasteelborg’, a similar vessel after a similar conversion project for Shell. In 2020 the ‘Keizersborg’ was delivered to another oil & gas major, also after a conversion project. Together with ‘ship of the year’ Kroonborg, all walk to work vessels have proved to be very successful in recent years. In addition to efficiency and logistical advantages, the walk to work vessels also has a positive effect on the environment by reducing helicopters flights significantly.