Seazip Offshore Service to hold official christening of ‘Twin Axe’ catamaran ships
In Harlingen, two newly-constructed ‘Twin Axe’ catamaran ships will be officially christened on Friday 22 March, at 11 AM, said in the Seazip Offshore Service's press release. In the near future, these ships will be deployed in the completion stage of a large-scale wind farm on the North Sea, 90 km north-west of the island of Borkum. This off-shore wind farm is being constructed by the German BARD Group, which will charter the vessels from their owner, SeaZip Offshore Service – a sister company of JR Shipping Group in Harlingen. The christening takes place at Korte Lijnbaan, where the ships will be moored opposite JR Shipping’s office. You will also have the opportunity to look round the ships. The christening ceremony will be performed by Mrs Akkie van der Weij, accompanied by her husband, Mr Willem Roelof Sluiter, Harlingen’s mayor.
The newly-built service vessels, to be christened SeaZip 1 and SeaZip 2, have recently been delivered to SeaZip Offshore Service and were built by Damen Shipyards, based in the Netherlands. Damen was also responsible for the development of this FCS 2610 Twin Axe Bow vessel type. A number of vessels of this type have already been put to use on the North Sea. They distinguish themselves due to their speed and maximum seaworthiness which, combined with economical fuel consumption and a high degree of stability, enables them to sail in rough weather conditions, too. While primarily built for
the purpose of transporting personnel, the ships can also transport small quantities of freight. With the FCS 2610 Twin Axe Bow design, Damen has created a new standard in the market for offshore service vessels.
Using this new standard, Damen and SeaZip Offshore Service are anticipating the trend of devising wind farms at locations far from the coast and at ever-greater depths. During the next ten years, the industry is expected to shift towards locations at a distance of over 20 kilometres from the coast, with depths exceeding 20 meters. This shift requires a new type of multifunctional service and accommodation vessels which guarantee reliable and, above all, safe operations performed in often dynamic conditions. The ships and the ancillary maritime services are needed for building the many projected wind farms, but also for the ensuing maintenance work.
SeaZip Offshore Service BV, founded in mid-2010 at the initiative of Jan Reier Arends and Sander Schakelaar, Managing Directors/Owners of JR Shipping, combines unparalleled capabilities in order to play a leading role in this niche market. The enterprise is integrated in a full-service shipping company, which enables it to provide any desired cluster of maritime services, ranging from ship development and financing to operational management, including crew provision. Due to its connection with JR Shipping Group, SeaZip has all the certificates required for the maritime shipping industry.