- The new vessel, measuring 40 m in length, will form part of Briggs’ charter fleet.
- The ship will be able to embrace emerging technologies to utilise transitional fuels and offer drop-in battery capacity to allow zero-carbon operations in some circumstances.
- In addition to the primary AtoN tasks, the vessel has been designed to incorporate maximum flexibility for support of other tasks.
UK-based marine services provider Briggs Marine has placed an order with Freire shipyard in Spain for a maintenance support vessel, which is due in service Q4 2024. The contract for the vessel forms part of Briggs’ investment programme to renew and upgrade its fleet to maintain a high standard of vessel services for its clients.
Maintenance support vessel
The new vessel, measuring 40 m in length, will form part of Briggs’ charter fleet. It will enhance and expand the company’s offering to a range of industries including defence, ports and harbours, energy and utilities, construction and offshore renewable energy.
Configured to support Briggs’ ongoing contracts with the UK government, offshore wind farms and commercial ports, the vessel will primarily undertake inspection, servicing and replacement of aids to navigation (AtoN) and heavy inshore moorings in the UK and overseas.
Latest emission standards
A DP2 propulsion system and generous deck outfit has been specified and configured for maximum crew safety and uninterrupted service, even in arduous conditions where necessary.
The company has specified diesel-electric propulsion to offer the best fuel efficiency possible in a wide range of applications as well as compliance with the latest and proposed future emissions standards.
Future proofed features
The nature of machinery installation also allows it to be future proofed. The ship will be able to embrace emerging technologies to utilise transitional fuels and offer drop-in battery capacity to allow zero-carbon operations in some circumstances.
In addition to the primary AtoN tasks, the vessel has been designed to incorporate maximum flexibility for support of other tasks including deployment of remotely operated vehicles, survey duties, diving, subsea investigation, seabed preparation tasks and other marine project activities.
Among other features, the vessel is fitted with a moonpool, a detachable ‘A’ frame, a four-point mooring system and a survey project office.
A demountable crew transfer vessel boarding ladder has also been incorporated into the design to support offshore wind projects.
Crew safety
Crew welfare is increasingly important to the company and the accommodation is to be well appointed with noise-reduction features to enable 24/7 operations at high levels of endurance.
The vessel’s hull shape is the result of lengthy technical collaboration with Freire with the intention to provide excellent seakeeping properties and weather resilience.
Comfortable continuous operations will be possible with a permanent crew of six and a balance of 10 additional project personnel in well-appointed cabins.
Enhancing marine project
Briggs Marine managing director Collieson Briggs said, “This latest order further demonstrates Briggs’ commitment to maintaining its position as the UK’s nearshore marine experts.
“The vessel will further enhance our marine project support capability for both the growing renewables sector as well as the more traditional marine construction tasks upon which Briggs has built its solid reputation.”
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Source: Riviera
