Seacat Services expands offshore energy support fleet with first in class Seacat Weatherly

31 July 2020

First ‘next-generation’ Chartwell 24 catamaran hits the water, building on a proven formula for safe, effective offshore wind vessel support

 

Cowes, 31st July 2020 - Class-leading offshore energy support vessel operator Seacat Services has announced the acceptance of Seacat Weatherly, the first next-generation Chartwell 24 catamaran designed by pioneering naval architect Chartwell Marine to enter operational service. Following her completion at the Diverse Marine shipyard in Cowes and successful sea trials, Seacat Weatherly heads straight on to her first charter contract at a major UK offshore wind project.


Seacat Weatherly is the culmination of long-term collaboration between South Coast businesses Seacat Services, Chartwell Marine and shipyard Diverse Marine, and the product of an industry-wide drive to refine the formula for offshore wind vessel support. As offshore wind projects grow in scale, customers are placing increased emphasis on the core metrics that define effective vessel operation, including the safety and comfort of crew transfers, ‘time on turbine’ for technicians, technical availability and efficiency.


The first of a two-vessel order, Seacat Weatherly is designed to meet – and exceed – the operational standards expected by offshore wind project owners and contractors. She brings a number of key technical innovations to the market including advanced engine and hull design, a large foredeck and safety features such as step-free access, sliding handrails and unrestricted visibility from the wheelhouse.


This has all been achieved while making use of many of the same components and equipment as her sister vessels in the 13-strong Seacat Services fleet, in order to maintain operational familiarity and ensure effective management of spares and inventory.


Andrew Calderbank-Link, Operations Director at Seacat Services said: “Seacat Weatherly is a fine addition to the fleet, capitalising on all of the core attributes that have defined the Seacat Services offering to date. Refining vessel designs is vital to meeting the changing needs of the offshore wind sector and Seacat Weatherly ensures that our crews can bring maximum operational value to our customers from day one.”


Andy Page, Naval Architect and Managing Director at Chartwell Marine added: “It brings us great satisfaction to see Seacat Weatherly enter service, and we will be monitoring closely how she performs on site. The Chartwell 24 design has been formulated for the industry by the industry to meet the specific requirements of offshore wind construction and operation, both in Europe and further afield.”


Ben Colman, Director at Diverse Marine said: “It is testament to the resolve and versatility of our team – and the strength of our ongoing collaboration with Seacat Services and Chartwell Marine – that we’ve successfully brought this vessel build to fruition despite current supply chain disruption and working restrictions. This is a huge collective achievement and bodes well for the future of British boatbuilding and naval architecture as we set a new standard for the global offshore wind market.” 


Seacat Weatherly has been successfully handed over despite the challenges and pressures created by the current lockdown. Her sister vessel, Seacat Rainbow is currently under construction at the Diverse Marine yard in Cowes and is scheduled for acceptance in October.


-Ends-


About Seacat Services


Seacat Services is the class leading wind farm support vessel operator, located in Cowes, UK. With a current fleet of thirteen boats that conform to the highest operational and safety standards, the company operates internationally and works directly with developers, utilities, manufacturers and support services businesses to provide fast and efficient offshore personnel and equipment transfers. 


For more details please visit:

www.seacatservices.co.uk 


About Chartwell Marine:

 

Chartwell Marine is a pioneer in next-generation vessel design. Headed up by Andy Page, a reputed naval architect with an industry-leading track record designing award-winning high-speed vessels, Chartwell Marine supports ambitious boat builders and vessel operators around the world with specialist, independent design and consultancy services.

 

To find out more about Chartwell Marine, please visit: 

http://www.chartwellmarine.com

Diverse Marine’s Finance & Lease Programme Delivers Two CTVs, with Five More in Build

27 February 2025
Cowes, UK (27-02-25) Since launching its Finance & Lease Programme in November 2023, Diverse Marine has successfully delivered two crew transfer vessels (CTVs), with three more currently in build for delivery this year and two further shortly thereafter of the first batch.The programme continues to operate as a rolling initiative, providing new-build CTVs based on customer demand. The first vessel completed under the programme was NR Alpha, which was unveiled at Seawork last year. This Storm Class CTV has set new benchmarks for fuel efficiency and performance, leading NR Marine Services to order a third vessel—NR Rival, the first of the new Typhoon Class CTVs. NR Rival was delivered in January 2025. TheTyphoon Class features a hull form designed for exceptional head-sea performance and tower access while maintaining high buoyancy reserves for superior seakeeping in following and stern-quarter seas. It also comes with Zero Emissions (Power Management) class notation, recognising its efficiency in reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Stock Build 3, a first Brevity Class CTV is undergoing sea trials with the vessel available for quick delivery following rebrand to suit a prospective clients requirements. Stock Build 4, to be named NR Rebellion, a second Typhoon Class CTV, is now in its final build phase, with the wheelhouse and saloon fitted earlier this month. Again ordered by NR Marine Services, she is scheduled for launch and sea trials in March. Owen Nutt, Director at NR Marine Services, commented: “Receiving three world-class CTVs in the last 10 months has been transformative for our business. Each vessel has outperformed expectations in speed and efficiency, delivering significant fuel cost savings for our clients.This success has given us the confidence to order another Typhoon Class CTV and another Storm Class CTV through Diverse Marine’s Finance & Lease Programme, and we look forward to putting them to work soon.” Meanwhile, Stock Build 5, to be named NR Hunter, a third Storm Class CTV, is currently under construction at Diverse Marine’s facility in Cowes and will be launched at Seawork in June. Stock Build 6, an Ambitious Class CTV is also currently under construction and will be delivered to OEG, whilst Stock Build 7, a further Brevity Class CTV, will follow in Q3/Q4 of this year. Ben Colman, Director at Diverse Marine, added: “The success of our Finance & Lease Programme is proving that high-quality, next-generation CTVs can be more accessible and affordable for operators. By reducing the financial barriers to vessel ownership, we’re enabling companies to upgrade their fleets with more efficient and capable vessels. With four more vessels in build and strong interest in future slots, we look forward to continuing to support the offshore wind industry with innovative financing and cutting-edge designs.” For more information on the Diverse Marine Finance & Lease Programme, including availability and build slots, please contact Ben Colman or Peter Curtis on 01983 300656.

Diverse Marine Start Construction of CSOV Daughter Craft

12 June 2024
Seawork, Southampton, UK (12-06-24) Diverse Marine is proud to announce that it has been selected by VARD GROUP AS to construct a Chartwell Daugher Craft to be installed on a VARD 4 19 CSOV under construction for PURUS Wind. The 12m catamaran daughter craft,designed by Chartwell Marine in Southampton features a twin IMOTier-3Volvo Penta IPS propulsion system to reduce emissions and provide good performance when deployed from the CSOV.  Ben Colman, Director of Diverse Marine:“I am very proud of this contract award, something different for our small boats team off the back of small military craft, amphibious CTV, survey vessels and a fast passenger vessel. If there is sufficient demand for daughter craft of this type then we may consider a stock build programme similar to the CTV’s to have craft available without the burden of construction finance and stage payments.”

Diverse Marine & NR Marine Services announce the launch of NR ALPHA

10 June 2024
Diverse Marine and NR Marine Services and proud to announce the launch of the second of class Storm Class CTV, NR ALPHA that is now proudly being displayed at Seawork 2024 in the Port of Southampton on berth VB21. NR ALPHA is a sister to NR PREDATOR delivered in March this year. NR PREDATOR has performed very well on her first contract with higher performance levels and substantially lower fuel burn and emission levels than other similar vessels on the same project. The Storm Class measures 27.6m LOA by 10m BOA and is fitted with a quad IMO Tier-3 Volvo Penta IPS propulsion system. Its unique hull form features a very fine entry with higher buoyancy reserves above the main chines and resistance reducingsolutions integrated into the underbody. A resilient superstructure ensures very low noise and vibration levels in the passenger saloon with the first recording sub 55dBA at full power. NR ALPHA is the first vessel from the Diverse Marine Finance and Lease Programme announced late last year and the first of three vessels being delivered to the scheme this year. The programme allows Diverse Marine to build offshore wind crew transfer vessels to stock for onward lease or sale. The scheme removes the requirement for clients to source construction finance and Diverse Marine can offer the vessels on lease/hire purchase with 0% deposit, a fully funded solution with payments monthly in arrears. Ben Colman, Director of Diverse Marine:“We are delighted to announce the build of NR ALPHA for NR Marine Services.Theperformance of NR PREDATOR has exceeded everybody’s expectations with exceptionally good performance, fuel efficiency and reliability, a testament to the high quality produced by our team at Cowes”.  Owen Nutt, Director of NR Marine Services: “The addition of NR ALPHA to our fleet so soon after NR PREDATOR is testament to the growth and forward plans set out by our business to add high quality, high performance and efficient vessels to our fleet. Diverse Marine’s Storm Class is the result of the KPI’s we provided to Walker Marine Design and the ship yard. With NR PREDATOR all of these KPI’s were met with the vessel proving to be faster and more efficient that predicted. We are very pleased and excited that we can add NR ALPHA to the fleet and provide our clients with class leading vessels that can save £100,000’s of fuel cost annually without any compromise”.
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