New ICMS crew transfer facilities at Fraserburgh

Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS) has designed and built bespoke new crew transfer vessel (CTV) berthing facilities for Moray East Offshore Windfarm Ltd. (MOWEL), providing a safe “all-in-one” base for the daily servicing, refuelling and usage of the vessels during the ongoing maintenance of the windfarm.

Situated in Fraserburgh Harbour, on the East Coast of Scotland, the berth consists of 60m x 4m of ICMS’s Heavy-Duty Pontoon. Initially due to have 800mm of freeboard, this was increased to 1.0m to match that of the vessels’ at the client’s request. With the ability to produce floats to any dimensions, this additional 200mm of freeboard was a simple design change for the Irish pontoon manufacturer.

Topped with GRP decking suitable for commercial applications, with excellent anti-slip properties, the berth also has a 200mm rubber D-fender for ease of berthing the CTVs.

Connected to the quay via H-piles, the facility is accessed via a secure gate structure. The 24m access gangway is cranked with a cantilevered shore platform preventing the ramp and pontoon snagging at high water levels, as well as taking up less space on the quay.

The M&E package for the project included 40,000L fuel tank with cloud-controlled dispenser, water, electricity and lighting to ensure continuous safe working conditions throughout the year, any time of the day or night.

“We worked closely with MOWEL, the Harbour Commissioners and multiple other partners to find a value engineered design, with all-weather operation and turnaround time for the vessels being the key drivers,” says Vincent Carey, sales engineer at ICMS. “Vessels up to 130T displacement can now be turned around in 25 minutes, including refuelling, change out of consumables and water resupply.”