Between 2019 and 2021, Hvide Sande Shipyard has built 5 STBs (Safe Transfer Boats) for the Esbjerg-based shipping company Esvagt, which provides safety and service at sea.
The STBs ESVAGT WIND 5-6-7-8-9 are 12 meter long vessels with aluminum hulls. With a crew of two boatmen, they can transport 8 service technicians and carry approx. 1 ton of spare parts for offshore installations in the North Sea and adjacent waters. They are launched up to 10 times a day from a davit crane arrangement on larger SOV motherships, but can also operate independently in and out of port. They are certified for a range of 200 nautical miles.
Powered by two Volvo Penta D6 engines, the vessels operate at speeds of up to 30 knots. It is a highly effective vessel that meets – and in many cases exceeds – customer expectations in terms of efficiency, versatility and reliability. Esvagt was responsible for the design, construction and specifications. The company also maintains the vessels.
Bjarne Mikkelsen, Senior Service Manager at Esvagt, explains the cooperation with Hvide Sande Shipyard:
“When we started the STB 12 project in 2014, 3D drawing technology was not as developed. So we built a full-size mock-up and moved the components around until everything worked optimally. For the construction of ships no. 5 – 9, we chose Hvide Sande Shipyard. We deliberately chose a Danish supplier in order to preserve Danish jobs.
CEO Carl Erik Kristensen visited us at the beginning of the project to have a look at a similar vessel. After a quarter of an hour, he was able to confirm that Hvide Sande Shipyard was capable of building such a vessel and gave us an approximate price. It added up!
Naturally, we were a little hesitant to start the process with a new supplier. But it turned out to be a fantastic collaboration. I had a goal that we would be as good friends and business partners at the end of the project as we were at the beginning – and it came true.
At Esvagt we never compromise when it comes to safety and quality. We knew that Hvide Sande Shipyard could deliver and that their organization and documentation processes are in place.
I know many of the employees from different contexts, and Hvide Sande Shipyard has always delivered good quality on time. All challenges along the way were solved in the best possible way.”
