Just a month after the contract was signed, Damen delivered a new Multi Cat 1908 SD (shallow draught) to the German energy infrastructure construction company Bohlen & Doyen Bau GmbH, a subsidiary of Friedrich Vorwerk. The vessel, named Scholle, is the first marine asset to be bought by the company in many years.
The 19.4m vessel has been bought for use on a multi-year project supporting transmission system operator TenneT on its offshore grid connection systems in the North Sea. Bohlen & Doyen’s new acquisition will be used for a wide variety of support tasks in the coastal waters of Germany, including pushing and pulling barges, supplying fuel and water, transporting equipment and personnel to and from the working areas, and utilising its crane across multiple scenarios.
Its minimum draught of just one metre will enable it to access waters that very few other vessels can safely reach. Not for nothing are Damen’s Multi Cats known as the Swiss Army knives of the workboat world.
The German-flagged Multi Cat 1908 SD is specially designed to operate in shallow waters, with an operational draft between 1.0 and 1.2 metres. In addition to the standard specification, Bohlen & Doyen requested a towing hook, a wooden bulwark between the pushbows and additional lashing points.
A cooling radiator has also been added to enable the generator to provide power while the vessel is beached. To further optimise the vessel for its role it has been equipped to use PanolinGreenMarine biodegradable hydraulic oil to allow it to operate in the Wadden Sea.
The rapid delivery was possible due to Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld having a series-produced vessel in stock, ready for delivery following any adjustments required by the customer. With the hulls fabricated at Damen Shipyards Koźle in Poland, it is a 100% European-built ship.
