New offshore wind trimaran designed by 2.5-metres

Finnish shipbuilder Mobimar is set to deliver its first ‘18 Wind’ three hulled vessel to marine transport contractor Meriaura Ltd in March next year. 

The vessel can carry 12 passengers providing safe transfers for service engineers onto turbines in significant wave heights of up to 2.5 metres. Most current vessels cannot leave port wave heights of more than 1.5 metres.

It can also approach an offshore turbine from either side and run idle during disembarkation, rather than pushing against the turbine at full throttle to stay put. The trimaran is also less sensitive to rolling and slamming than monohulls and catamarans.

The new vessel has one 750kw engine, as opposed to the two featured on most catamarans, so reducing fuel consumption by more than €200 per hour. At 18-metres in length it is also able to feature a large deck space for maintenance work that cannot be carried out on the turbine in situ.

Meriaura is based at the Finnish port of Olkiluoto and operates service vessels in the Baltic and North Sea.