Veka-Group builds a series of catamarans for the offshore industry in[ds_preview] the Netherlands. The model has been specially developed for crew tendering and offers enough deck space for transporting three 10 ft containers. The first vessel, destined for an operator of a wind farm, will be delivered in mid-September. »Aboard a multihull people don’t get seasick easily. Furthermore, a catamaran sails much faster than a monohull«, said Veka project manager Robin Sijbrands. According to Veka, the new »wind farm catamaran« weighs about 20 % less than a traditionally built catamaran which lowers fuel consumption. The vessel provides room for twelve passengers and three crew members.
Disembarking has also been simplified as the catamarans can stick to a position by friction, caused by the water jets and engine power without need of a dynamic positioning system. A heavy crane foundation is installed at the fore and aft, allowing to put a container or a ROV (remotely operated vehicle) overboard. The current catamaran has a length of 19.4 m, and there is a plan for a 24 m version. It has a width of 7 m at 1 m draught while propulsion is realized by two engines type MTU-8V2000 M72.
