VESSEL REVIEW | MHO Fast & MHO Furious – Trimaran crewboats to be deployed in eastern UK waters

Danish offshore support company MHO-Co recently acquired two new crewboats in a series built by Umoe Mandal of Norway.

The newbuilds are notable for utilising a lightweight surface effect ship (SES) trimaran design, which was developed to achieve higher speeds and greater fuel economy compared to a conventional-hulled crewboat. Specifically, the new crewboats are designed to be capable of service speeds of between 38 and 40 knots and a top speed of just under 50 knots, hence the selection of the names MHO Fast and MHO Furious.

The DNV-classed crewboats each have a steel hull, an LOA of 27.6 metres, a beam of 10.4 metres, a maximum draught of only two metres, a gross tonnage of 195, a deadweight tonnage of 15, and space for 24 passengers and four crewmembers plus up to four tonnes of assorted cargo. The trimaran layout will help facilitate safe transfers of personnel even in significant wave heights of 2.5 metres.

The propulsion setup on each crewboat consists of two Scania DI16M engines that drive Marine Jet Power CSU 650 waterjets via Kumera Marine KMG-306-505 gearboxes. In addition to delivering high transit speeds, the propulsion can also allow each vessel to sail up to 600 nautical miles in between refuellings.

Also fitted are two John Deere 4045TFM50 generators to supply power for the onboard electronics, which include a Furuno radar.

MHO Fast and MHO Furious will be operated by MHO-Co in support of Ørsted at the latter's Race Bank and Westernmost Rough wind farm sites off the eastern UK.