Total E&P Nederland has contracted one of Vroon Offshore Services’ walk-to-work units for use in Dutch waters of the North Sea.
The unit, VOS Start (built 2017), will provide accommodation for personnel while Total undertakes planned maintenance work at one of its offshore platforms.
The vessel has a 50-tonne active-heave-compensated crane and is able to accommodate up to 60 people.
During its first seven days of operation, VOS Start completed 34 gangway connections and transferred 185 people in total, Vroon said in a press release on Monday.
“VOS Start, and sister vessel VOS Stone, are purpose-built to support offshore operations and walk-to-work projects in both the oil and gas and renewables sectors,” said Craig Harvie, managing director for Vroon Offshore Services in Aberdeen.
“These vessels have specialist gangways, which allow people to walk to work safely and we are seeing demand rise, particularly on maintenance projects, not only in oil and gas but increasingly in offshore wind.”
Once this contract has been completed, VOS Start will be mobilised the Irish Sea to undertake similar walk-to-work operations for an unnamed offshore renewable company.
