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19 November 2013
It is a new concept in the offshore wind industry: a luxurious accommodation vessel with an ‘Ampelmann’ on the bridge deck. An Ampelmann is a self-stabilising platform that makes it possible for riggers and engineers to be dropped off at their offshore workplace directly and safely. Atlas Professionals had the honor of supplying the entire crew for this remarkable vessel.
Challenging project
Over two years ago, Chevalier Floatels, an expert in developing new concepts for floating accommodations, bought two identical Swedish cruise ships. At the end of October 2012, they asked shipbuilder Holland Shipyards to lengthen the ships by ten meters and to upgrade them to a Dynamic Positioning2 (DP2) Service Support Vessel. DP2 ensures that the vessels remain stable, regardless of weather conditions. Jan van Driel, Director of ASD Marine Consultancy, at the helm of this project, states: "Comfort and well-being of the staff, as well as reduction of operational costs for the customer, were the starting points of this challenging project. The most advanced systems available were integrated in order to build the secure and safe DP Gezina. The vessel can accommodate up to ninety people."
Staff accommodation
In early June 2013, ASD Marine Consultancy transported the DP Gezina to the North Sea in Germany. Van Oord, which commissioned the ships, uses the accommodation vessel to provide the 88 wind turbines under construction with the appropriate technical wiring. Currently, a total of 44 Van Oord employees and 16 Atlas crewmembers are residing on the ship. Van Oord’s Superintendent Paul Roelofs explains why this ship was chosen: “We compared the various accommodation vessels in the market and the DP Gezina proved to be the ideal ship for this project. This system makes it possible for our staff to work more efficiently, even in high seas. It is a first for us too, but we are convinced that this vessel will be a good return on investment.” Captain Kondranin, who works aboard the DP Gezina via Atlas, explains why it’s a fantastic ship, saying: “Only 21 of these unique Ampelmanns have been made so far. The DP Gezina is the only ship on the North Sea that combines such high levels of luxury and comfort with cutting-edge, high-tech systems." Two specially trained operators work aboard the ship to operate the Ampelmann. "Until now there has never been an Ampelmann mounted on such a luxurious accommodation ship,” says Kondranin. “You can understand why this ship is such a pleasure to work on.”
Total crewing services
From the Atlas office in Riga, Latvia, Account Manager Maris Briedis provided the DP Gezina with an entire crew. Briedis: "Some positions had very specific competency requirements, such as DP operators with ASD skills, DP Maintenance, and Diesel Electrical experience for engineers. This made the search for suitable candidates a pretty daunting task. "During the four week rotation schedule, the sixteen Atlas crew members and five catering staff members ensure that this unique ship continues operations in the North Sea.
