Rovco signs long-term multi-purpose vessel charter for offshore wind characterization projects
(WO) — Rovco signed a long-term charter with Glomar Offshore for Glomar Supporter, a multi-purpose support vessel. This charter is part of the company’s growth strategy within its site characterization business unit. The deal marks a significant expansion of Rovco’s offshore hydrographic, geophysical and shallow geotechnical survey abilities.
Rovco is working with Glomar and marine design consultants, Medea, to reconfigure the vessel to meet the rapidly-growing offshore wind market. The new design will allow the Glomar Supporter to carry an entire suite of state-of-the-art survey sensors and equipment. Doing so will allow the company to provide high-quality data capture, reporting and technology-enabled solutions for efficient site-characterization offerings.
According to Craig Davis, Rovco’s Director of Site Characterization, the agreement will allow the company to meet demand for “turnkey integrated survey solutions across the offshore wind market” by making project delivery more efficient.
State-of-the-art design features
Rovco will receive the vessel in February 2023 with a keel-mounted gondola, various deck equipment, and high-end survey and reporting office suites.
The gondola will contain a suite of permanently installed survey sensors. They will include dual-head multi-beam configurations with inbuild roll and pitch stabilization for high-quality acquisition.
After reconfigurations, the main deck will feature a main stern A-Frame, capable of deploying and towing multiple sensor types such as seismic equipment. The redesign will also add secondary deck handling equipment to deploy cone penetration tests and Vibrocorers. These features will enable efficient in-situ soil condition sampling while allowing the company to take advantage of the stable DP2 platform.
Rovco will also install additional leading-edge technology for force multiplication during survey operations. These additions will allow for fast, large data packet transfers to shore. The entire package will make operations more efficient and cost-effective for clients.
Rovco’s survey team will board the Glomar Supporter to deliver a comprehensive package of site characterization solutions and specialized offshore survey projects. The company will focus on supporting the rapidly growing pipeline of offshore wind projects from their Aberdeen operational base, across ScotWind, the Southern North, Irish and Celtic Sea developments.
The Glomar Supporter
Built in 2009, the Glomar Supporter, which has a proven track record in safe and efficient operations, underwent an extensive rebuild and refurbishment in 2021. The 60m vessel has DP2 station-keeping capabilities, a carrying capacity of around 1395t DWT and a combined deck space of 497m2.
