#ArklowWindFarm- Maintenance work is underway at the Arklow Bank Offshore Windfarm that required the use a jack-up rig towed from Falmouth, writes Jehan Ashmore.

The eight-legged 'walking' jack-up rig Wavewalker 1 owned by Faro Seacore is also based in the south-west UK port from where MTS Vanquish towed the barge to Irish waters.

Wavewalker 1 is an innovative designed SEWP (self-elevating work platform) which was presented with the Product & Equipment Innovation Award at the prestigious Ground Engineering (GE) Awards ceremony held in London last month.

Assisting the maintenance project at the Arklow offshore installation operated by GE Wind Energy is Wicklow based Island Shipping which has a fleet of vessels and provides marine construction, engineering and consultancy services on a worldwide basis.

Their 21m twin screw multi-purpose workboat Husky under master Nicholas Keogh and crew Pat Byrne and Graham Fitzgerald have displayed skilful berthing procedures as the Wavewalker 1 has been based in Wicklow Port.

Husky's homeport may be Wicklow but that has not stopped her working outside domestic waters as the shallow-draft workboat has worked in the UK. This has involved a variety of marine operations among them surveying, dive support, towage and anchor handling.

In the case of Wavewalker1, the barge's first project carried out in 2013 was in far-flung Brazil, where she undertook drilling and rock blasting works in the outer channel to the port of Suape.