Hull's Rix Sea Shuttle wins two-year contract at world's largest offshore wind farm

Rix Sea Shuttle, the Hull-based crew transfer specialist, has landed a major contract at the world’s largest offshore windfarm.

The business, which is part of the J.R. Rix & Sons group, has secured a two-year charter for the Rix Lynx and the Rix Leopard at the Orsted-owned Hornsea Project One.

The two ships will work out of Grimsby and be able to remain offshore for up to two weeks at a time. The crew will be accommodated both on board and on an accommodation jack-up at the offshore site, which lies 120km off the East Yorkshire coast.

James Doyle, managing director of Rix Sea Shuttle, said he was particularly pleased that the company’s biggest contract win to date was at a Humber-based project.

The charter, which came via Danish company MH-O&Co, is extendable by three years once the initial two-year charter has elapsed.

Mr Doyle said: “Winning this contract is great news. It is our biggest charter to date in the offshore wind sector and the fact that it is in our own backyard makes it even more special.

“It is also fantastic to be associated with what will be the world’s biggest offshore wind farm. Hornsea Project One is a phenomenally ambitious development that is very important to our region, so playing even a small part in its construction is a proud achievement for us.”

Sister vessels the Rix Lynx and Rix Leopard are the largest boats in Rix’s fleet, measuring 27.4 metres in length and capable of carrying a crew of six plus 24 passengers.

Mr Doyle added: “There is a strong market for larger crew transfer vessels now because they are very versatile.

“The Leopard was the first fully certified 24-passenger crew transfer vessel in UK and the Lynx was the second, which goes to show we are at the forefront of our industry.”

Hornsea Project One will consist of up to 174 wind turbines covering approximately 407 sqaure kilometres.

Offshore construction is due to start next year and when completed, it will be capable of powering well over 1,000,000 homes.

Mik Henriksen of MHO&Co said: “We look very much forward to working closely with Rix Sea Shuttle for many years to come.”

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