W2W SOV-supply vessel Kroonborg. This yard model was built in a scale of 1:100 by the workshop Ihlenfeldt & Berkefeld and is part of our exhibition on the offshore industries on deck 7 of the museum.
The Kroonborg is a modern supply ship for the offshore industry, but she is not simply that. The term to define this specialized ship is Walk to Work (W2W) Service Operation Vessel (SOV). This ships bring a supply to offshore structures that they could never operate without: the workers. Of course, offshore structures like wind farms and oil or gas platforms are not alway situated in calm seas. This makes the transfer of workers from the ship to the structure a hazardous operation. To keep things safe, W2W vessels are equipped with an active heave gangway so workers can walk to work from the ship. They also need a specially precise Dynamic Positioning (DP) System. This means that the thrusters of the ship are coordinated by an informatics system that allows the ship to stay in place even in heavy seas (in this case, even with waves of up to 3 meters). On top of that, this ships include roll stabilization systems so the movements at sea stay minimal. W2W vessels are not only a means of transportation, they are also the habitations for the workers during their time of duty. Building and maintaining habitations in offshore structures is very expensive – specially in those that do not need the presence of a crew continuously. With ships like this one workers can be brought where and when they are needed, and they can enjoy a quite comfortable stay during the duration of their duty.
The Kroonborg was built for the Dutch company Royal Wagenborg in 2014 at the Royal Niestern Sander Shipyard in Delfzijl, the Netherlands. Seen as the best performing W2W vessel of her time, she was awarded the Ship of the Year award of the Royal Netherlands Society for Marine Technology (KNVTS) in 2015. She is 80 m long and 16 m wide, and has habitations for up to 60 workers and crew. Her accommodations include a hospital, an internet café, a mess room, a fitness studio and working offices. Her safety equipment exceeds the basic needs of the ship, so she can also take part in search and rescue (SAR) operations if needed.
This yard model was built in a scale of 1:100 by the workshop Ihlenfeldt & Berkefeld and is part of our exhibition on the offshore industries on deck 7 of the museum.