MPI WORKBOATS EXERCISED OPTION FOR FURTHER WORKBOAT


Tuesday 3 August 2010



PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday 3 August 2010

---BEGINS---

MPI WORKBOATS EXERCISED OPTION FOR FURTHER WORKBOAT

MPI Workboats are happy to announce that it has exercised an option for the construction of a further state of the art, purpose built wind farm support aluminium catamaran for delivery in June 2011. This extension to the company’s new building programme will compliment the sister vessel currently under construction and to be delivered in January 2011.

Designed specifically for MPI Workboats Ltd, the South Catamaran 17m LS is a radical development over existing models to cover a multiplicity of roles demanded by wind farm site owners and operators. The vessels will be an overall length of 17.5 metres, 6.4 metre beam and draft of 1 metre. Whilst being an ideal solution for the wind farm support sector generally, the vessels have been uniquely designed to offer the maximum length and beam possible whilst still being able to enter the Fish Dock at the Port of Grimsby at any stage of the tide.

Realisation of MPI’s new building programme will increase their workboat fleet from four vessels to six and will assist in meeting the ever increasing demand in the rapidly developing offshore wind industry.

The new build programme will be carried out by Isle of Wight boat builder, South Boats Special Projects Ltd at their Cowes facility. Since the commencement of construction of the first vessel in the fleet, ‘MPI Sancho Panza’ in 2007, MPI have worked closely with South Boats Special Projects to refine the design of their vessels and incorporate innovative solutions to meet the requirements of MPI’s customers.

MPI Workboats realised at an early stage that their customers’ requirements for a workboat differed greatly between the construction phase and the operational phase of a wind farm. A great deal of hard work has gone into optimising the design, performance and operation of the vessels to establish a first rate solution which satisfies both separate and distinct requirements.

Leslie Robertson, Operations Manager for MPI Workboats said “I am delighted to announce the latest extension to our new build programme. Together with South Boats Special Projects we are now building two impressive additions to our workboat fleet. The construction of these vessels clearly shows MPI’s commitment to both the wind farm maintenance sector and also to innovation.”

In naming their fleet of wind farm support vessels, MPI have drawn upon a work of classic literature. Each vessel carries the name of a character from the novel ‘Don Quixote’ written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes in the 17th Century. MPI have drawn a creative parallel between the offshore wind industry and the iconic scene in the book, where the main character, Spanish Nobleman, Don Quixote initiates an attack on windmills which he imagines to be ferocious giants.

---ENDS---

Notes to editors:

Technical Details:Designed specifically for MPI Workboats Ltd the South Catamaran 17m LS is a radical development over existing models to cover a multitude of roles demanded by wind farm site owner and operators. This brand new hull form features additional structure and freeboard to increase cargo carrying capacity and to sustain a heavier inbuilt specification. These vessels feature an integrated 690V 3-Phase Star Neutral output 150kVA generator set, fuel transfer and delivery system with 40m of pressure head and hose reel and a pressure washer system to enable the craft to fulfil a multiplicity of different tasks through the different stages of construction and O&M of a wind farm. With a displacement of 30 tonnes, this 17.5m vessel with its Ultra Dynamics UJ452 water jet units can generate very high thrust levels for safe manoeuvring and station keeping coupled to over 5 tonnes of bollard push when against a Transition Piece.

MPI Offshore, based in Stokesley, UK, has been pioneering the offshore wind turbine installation business since 2003, when the first dedicated wind turbine installation vessel was delivered: MPI Resolution. Over the past seven years MPI has been involved in numerous wind farm construction projects, including those on Barrow and Robin Rigg. During 2008, the company decided to invest USD 550 million in two state-of-the art wind turbine installation vessels, currently under construction at the Cosco Nantong Shipyard in China. For more information on MPI and its wide-ranging capabilities please visit: www.mpi-offshore.com MPI is a subsidiary of Vroon Group, a Dutch-based, diversified ship-owning group with an extensive North Sea offshore fleet. For more information please visit: www.vroon.nl.

For more information contact: For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact;
Name: Peter Conlon
Title:Commercial Manager
Address: 1st Floor, Resolution House, 18 Eller beck Court
Stokesley Business Park
Stokesley
North Yorkshire
TS9 5PT
United Kingdom
Phone No:+44 (0)1642 742 200
Fax:+44 (0)1642 714 921
E-Mail:peter.conlon@mpi-offshore.com
Website:www.mpi-offshore.com


MPI Rosinante, part of the MPI Workboat fleet of wind farm support aluminium catamarans



Designed specifically for MPI Workboats Ltd the South Catamaran 17m LS is a radical development over existing models to cover a multitude of roles demanded by wind farm site owner and operators