Polar Prince (1999/6,951gt), the Norwegian-owned and managed OSV chartered by Subocean, was impounded at Harwich in late January when the Aberdeen-based company collapsed. The 94m DP2 vessel had been specially adapted to lay power cables at windfarm sites and was chartered on a £30 million, two-year extendable contract to work on the Greater Gabbard and Thanet Offshore wind farms, which are the largest of their type.
The vessel had been fitted with cable-laying and burial equipment, including tensioners, haulers, cable tank and Sea Stallion plough. Her DP2 direct positioning meant that she was able to remain on station without anchors and continue working in winds of up to 60 knots, while conventional cable-laying barges would have been stood down. The vessel has two moon pools and a Triton XLS ROV system with an Operating Depth Rating 3,000m. She has accommodation for 50 persons with private facilities and public rooms for meetings.
