As leading manufacturers of technical and insulation materials for the upstream oil and gas industry – and specialists in the design, engineering and manufacture of polymer solutions for the marine and offshore sectors – Advanced Insulation and its Manuplas business unit have manufactured and supplied a five-piece modular bow fender set to Northern Offshore Services AB (NOS) for its M/V Developer, a next-generation crew vessel developed and based on the company’s extensive experience in the offshore wind market.
The Manuplas name has a long association with the design, manufacture and supply of marine products – such as modular bow fender systems for offshore wind farm service vessels – to ports, harbours, navies, boat builders and vessel operators around the world and, as Manuplas technical sales support manager Andrew Wickham explains, Manuplas developed this custom fender system following more than 10 years’ experience in designing and engineering bow fenders, utilising bespoke materials developed in house specifically for this highly demanding application.
“These fender designs are proving popular based on their ability to generate higher levels of grip while applying less force on the landing piles. The impact pads which take most of the abuse, are independent of the rest of the Bow fender system. This makes them easier and more cost effective to replace as and when required and ultimately minimises any disruption to the vessel’s operation schedule.” Says Andrew.
Other benefits of the fender set include high-impact absorbency with the ability to withstand harsh offshore environments, safe access to turbines, high abrasion resistance and a virtually non-marking external finish.
Commenting for NOS technical manager Markus Olofsson says: “The main reason for contacting Manuplas was to create a partnership that could successfully build custom boat landing fenders. The increased surface area where their solution attaches to the boat landings, coupled with the advanced materials used, increases the wave height that the vessel can accommodate at the boat landing.”
The custom fender developed with Manuplas is a high-performance solution that provides excellent performance at sea when arriving at boat landings in poor weather
Additionally, with the new five-piece modular fender set, NOS can operate in much higher wave heights. On a typical day in the North Sea, NOS’s newer vessels can operate for around 28 days per month.
Summing up Markus says: “We have been working with Manuplas for six years and were among the first to use the custom-built fenders. They are outstanding in service and its new five-piece modular fender set is very high on the list of performance features for NOS’s vessels. It is also much cheaper to replace a fender than to repair a vessel, so the Manuplas solution is also an important component in helping us to succeed in this market.”
Northern Offshore Services’ M/V Developer has now been deployed to UK offshore wind farms for operation.
