Wagenborg Offshore has taken its third walk-to-work vessel into service as Keizersborg. Keizersborg is used as a standby and support vessel for inspection and maintenance of unmanned platforms in both Dutch and British waters in the southern North Sea.
After the positive experiences with the walk-to-work (W2W) vessel Kasteelborg, Wagenborg has once again opted to convert a standard platform supply vessel into this specialist offshore vessel. The DP2 vessel SK728 was designed by Wärtsilä and built by Wuhu Shipyard in China.
Keizersborg was converted in sixteen weeks by the Royal Niestern Sander shipyard and provided with an extra accommodation module, a motion compensated gangway and a retractable bow thruster.
Also read: Wagenborg to add third walk-to-work vessel to its fleet
Offshore maintenance and emergency response and rescue
Oil and gas companies face major challenges to carry out their work as safely and cost-efficiently as possible and to increase the efficiency of maintenance. Offshore platforms are smaller and normally unmanned without a helicopter deck, resulting in a need for W2W ships. With W2W ships, offshore activities can be supported safer, more efficiently, more effectively and more productively, as the W2W ships Kroonborg and Kasteelborg have proven. Keizersborg is used in a similar way and is ERRV (emergency response and rescue vessel) certified.
As an EERV, the Keizersborg can be deployed in emergency situations at platforms for rescue work, standby activities, emergency towing or patrol tasks. The ship is equipped with extra facilities on board, such as an infirmary, reception rooms, a decontamination room, a recovery room and extra sanitary facilities. Keizersborg is also equipped with a daughter craft and a fast rescue boat, so that rescue activities can also be carried out in bad weather.
Also read: Construction kicks off for world’s first shallow draft ice breaking W2W ship
