A new buoy-laying and maintenance support vessel, which was offshore of the Wexford coast, having departed Pembrokeshire, south Wales, has returned to its Scottish-based shipowner, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The dynamic positioning (DP2)-equipped newbuild Forth Constructor had departed Fishguard on Tuesday and set a course almost similar to the Stena Line ferry route across the St. George's Channel to Rosslare. Followed by a course off the Arklow Bank wind farm park, through the Irish Sea, the North Channel, and the Firth of Clyde to where the vessel arrived yesterday at Clydeport, Greenock.
Forth Constructor was built by the Freire Shipyard, Vigo, Spain, and entered service for Briggs Marine of Burntisland, Firth of Forth, east Scotland, to where it made a delivery voyage in the spring. The new build expands and develops Briggs offering of contracts with the UK government and port and harbour authorities, as well as providing services to the offshore wind and renewables sectors. In addition, as Afloat reported almost a year ago, it acquired a French port services company whose clients include Irish Ferries with routes to Cherbourg and Calais, adding to Briggs' existing port role at Dover.
In August, Briggs Marine won a major 5-year contract from Serco for the Royal Navy as a key subcontractor to deliver Range Safety and Aircrew Training (RSACT) services, operating 15 MoD vessels at various locations across the UK (among them Fishguard) to support military training exercises. The subcontract for RSACT services started this month.
Aside from its primary role in the servicing of heavy moorings and navigation marks, the Forth Constructor is well-equipped to carry out a range of offshore support tasks, including diving and ROV, seabed investigation and survey, and offshore wind support. To assist such work is a demountable crew transfer vessel (CTV) boarding ladder to enhance the vessel’s ability for offshore wind farm projects. The newbuild with a draught of only 2.5 m enables carrying out inshore cable-laying operations.
Additional features include a heave-compensated crane, moonpool, demountable A-frame, 4-point mooring capability, and survey /project office to serve a diverse range of clients.
The masters of the Forth Constructor are Saul King and Ann Pletschke, who head a crew of 6 and up to 10 project members accommodated in ensuite cabins. To increase comfort, the shipbuilder has paid particular attention to minimising noise and vibration levels throughout the vessel.
Dublin 'Lockout of 1913'
Saul King, also a master with the former Isle of Man-based Ramsey Steamship Company, whose short-sea dry cargo ship Ben Maye (built 1979/548 tons) was chartered for the centenary anniversary of the Dublin ‘Lockout 1913.’ The coaster re-enacted the role of the S.S. ‘Hare,’ which carried a vital cargo of food supplies from Liverpool organised by the British TUC to support 25,000 striking workers and their families.
Coincidentally, the Manx steamship company was founded a century ago in the same year as the Lockout.
On arrival in the Irish capital in October 2013, the Ben Maye was 'dressed overall,' and at the bow were draped banners displaying its temporary renaming in the role of S.S. Hare, from which a symbolic mock-up cargo was unloaded. After the eventful year of 1913, the ship was sunk during WW1 by a U-Boat off the Kish Bank in 1917.
