Offshore flexibility

Damen’s FCS 2710 gets set to provide oil & gas transfers for up to 100 personnel.

Over the past years, the Damen Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) 2710 has become a familiar fixture in the offshore wind sector. With almost 50 vessels sold to date, the vessel has gained a well deserved reputation for outstanding performance. Now, with a few straightforward modifications, the FCS 2710 is set to support operations in the oil & gas sector, too.

Fast & flexible

One of the key features of the vessel, ensuring its suitability for wider offshore energy use, is its flexibility. In addition to a range of propulsion options – including a hybrid diesel-electric system for reduced emissions – the FCS 2710 can be configured in diverse ways to accommodate varying numbers of personnel.

“In its standard form, the FCS 2710 is able to transfer up to 24 persons,” explains Wim Boerma, Product Manager High Speed Craft at Damen. “However, with relatively straightforward modification it’s possible to configure the vessel to transport 60, 90, or even 100 offshore personnel, together with between eight and twelve crew members.”

Further ensuring the relevance of the FCS 2710 is its range of up to 1,200 nautical miles and high speeds of up to 25 knots.

“With such a vessel, it is possible to transfer large numbers of people offshore, quickly, in safety and comfort, at considerably lower operational costs than with a helicopter.”

Series built and in stock

A further advantage of the FCS 2710 results from Damen’s stock building programme.

“Standardisation is one half of the Damen philosophy of shipbuilding,” Wim states. “Alongside the serial production of proven products, we construct our vessels for stock. With this, we are able to deliver them to our clients with the shortest possible lead times.”

Presently, Damen has a number of FCS 2710 vessels on stock and is nearing completion of several more. The necessary adaptation of the vessel to ensure suitability for oil and gas work takes just a few short weeks.

Set for oil & gas

To facilitate the transfer of personnel to an oil & gas platform, the FCS 2710 is installed with robust fendering designed to withstand the impact of a push-on platform connection. Once connected, personnel are transferred via hydraulic gangway – clearly visible from the wheelhouse.

“Not only is the transfer safer and more efficient than methods such as swing ropes or baskets, it's entirely suitable for accessing platform at various heights, with the gangway being height adjustable, ensuring optimal operational flexibility.”

Safety in the details

The enhanced safety presented by the transfer methods is one of many examples of enhanced safety presented by the FCS 2710, as Wim explains.

“The emphasis on safety has been integrated into every detail. You can see it in the wheelhouse, which is spacious, ergonomic and features 360-degree views. The deck is another example – this is stepless, spacious and free from obstacles, ensuring both safe working and transfer.”

The deck – comparable to those found on 40-metre workboats – boasts a clean, single level walkway, uninterrupted by transfer equipment or from the passenger accommodation. Additionally, the anchor equipment is recessed to create a flush surface with no tripping hazards for crew.

Defining features

Another reason the FCS 2710 provides such safe sailing is its excellent seakeeping capabilities – which also takes care of comfort for those on board.

The FCS 2710 – like the other vessels in Damen’s Fast Crew Supplier range – is the product of in-depth research and development. At the core of this, is the vessel’s distinctive hull form.

“The Sea Axe bow is of course a defining feature of Damen vessels,” says Wim. “Ultimately, it’s the result of a research collaboration between Damen and the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) that began back in the 1980s.”

With this, Damen and TU Delft set out to develop a hull form that would reduce slamming, improving safety and efficiency at sea. The result was the Enlarged Ship Concept, from which the Damen Stan Patrol 4207 and Stan Patrol 4708 are derived.

“With continued development, notably in cooperation with partners such as MARIN (Marine Research Institute Netherlands), the Royal Netherlands Navy and the US Coast Guard, the hull shape continued to evolve until, around the turn of the century, the Axe Bow was born.”

Capable & cost efficient

Named for its distinctive shape, the Axe Bow allows the vessel to cut effortlessly through the waves with minimal slamming, reducing peak accelerations by 50-75%, flat water resistance by 10-15% and resistance in waves up to 40%. It also significantly cuts fuel consumption as well as associated emissions by as much as 20%.

Combining two aluminium Axe Bows, Damen created the so-called Twin Axe – a vessel offering considerably improved seakeeping in comparison to a conventional catamaran.

“The Twin Axe quickly showed itself to be an ideal platform for undertaking rapid crew transfers with optimal safety, comfort, and efficiency.”

Optimally efficient

The FCS 2710 is prepared for compliance with IMO Tier III regulations. This is achieved by installation of a Damen Marine NO_X Reduction System  a proven selective catalytic reduction system that reduces emissions up to 80%.

Evolving design

The first expression of the design was the slightly smaller FCS 2610, an icon of the wind industry that went on to sell no fewer than 47 models. As with many Damen designs, the FCS continued to evolve over successive generations, finally becoming the FCS 2710 we see today, 26.8 metres in length, with a beam of 10.5 metres, with capabilities suitable for the offshore industry of today and tomorrow.

“The FCS 2710 has a very good track record in the offshore wind industry, with a lot of satisfied clients. We firmly believe the vessel has a lot to offer in the oil & gas market. It provides a significant boost to safety, comfort, cost-efficiency, as well as sustainability; all of which are attributes relevant to oil & gas. We’re very much looking forward to seeing the vessel in action in this sector in the coming months and have every confidence in its success,” concludes Wim.