BMT produces two-metre wave docking unit for new vessel

UK: A jet propulsion unit to allow docking with offshore turbines in higher sea states is the key feature in a new wind farm support vessel announced by design group BMT Nigel Gee and vessel operator Turbine Transfers.

by Paul Garrett 27 February 2012

The new 19-metre vessel will deploy the Voith Linear Jet (VLJ), a propulsion unit with an advanced ducted propeller positioned in a duct which operates in a similar way to a waterjet.

This makes it easier for the vessel’s skipper to dock and hold position in extremely rough seas, such as two-metre significant wave heights.

The VLJ provides higher "bollard pull" – a form of docking traction – than either standard propeller driven vessels or conventional waterjets.

BMT said commercial production of the new support vessel will now start at the Holyhead Marine shipyard in Wales and is set for delivery early next year.