4SeasonCTV is a EU co-funded pilot project for validating the performance of Airkeel stabilizers on Crew Transfer Vessels.
4SeasonCTV has launched!
Dacoma ApS, a maritime startup based in Svendborg, Danmark, has partnered up with Tuco Marine Group, from Faaborg, Denmark, and Hamburg based OPUS Marine to launch 4SeasonCTV, a demonstrator project for validating the performance of the Airkeel technology on a full-size CTV under operational conditions.
Follow the 4SeasonCTV linkedIn page for project related news and updates.
What is 4SeasonCTV?
Dacoma ApS, a maritime startup based in Svendborg, Danmark, has partnered up with Tuco Marine Group, from Faaborg, Denmark, and Hamburg based OPUS Marine to launch 4SeasonCTV, a demonstrator project for validating the performance of the Airkeel technology on a full-size Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) under operational conditions within the offshore wind industry.
The project focusses on
maturing final specifications and design of AirKeel for CTVs, optimizing performance in terms of operability, motion damping and fuel savings
demonstrating the AirKeel, retro-fitted to an existing CTV, in sheltered and open waters by real-life conditions piloting in collaboration with our partners Tuco Marine Group, renown builder of light weight, high speed work boats, and OPUS Marine, one of the leading European providers of offshore services, and making our product ready for market launch.
How are the consortium going to achieve this?
The 4SeasonCTV project has been awarded a € 1,4m grant from the Blue Economy SME Window programme of the European Maritime and Fisheries Funds (EMFF).
The project runs over 24 months, starting on November 1st, 2021.
Beneficiaries are the two Danish SME Dacoma ApS (coordinator) and Tuco Yacht Værft, a company under the Tuco Marine Group.
OPUS Marine (OM) has been selected as pilot customer. As in-kind contributor to the project, OM provides the CTV CarboClyde to be refitted with the Airkeel stabilizer on a renowned shipyard. OM also assists in the development by making their shipbuilding know-how and CTV design available. They provide CTV operation, including crew and ship management during the refitting, testing, sea trials and demonstrations.
The 4SeasonCTV team will invite interested customers to participate in demonstration events that are going to start in the winter 2022/2023. Mobilization and trials at sea are planned to commence in Q1/23, subject to further planning of details and confirmation.
4SeasonCTV project overview
The project is divided into 6 work packages. The specific project objectives are
a) Prototype maturation and piloting objectives (WP2-3) to optimize functionalities of the AirKeel and to demonstrate the technology in real operational settings with our piloting partner Opus Marine and elevate the product from current TRL6 to TRL7.
b) Final system validation and certification objectives (WP4) to fully qualify our product and make the solution ready for market launch, elevating our twin stabilizer solution from TRL7 to TRL8.
c) Commercialization and dissemination objectives (WP1-5-6) to successfully bring the solution to the market and reach sales traction beyond the proposed project, as well as to reach maximum awareness among stakeholders of the 4SeasonCTV project and AirKeel technology.
The Airkeel - more than just a stabilizer
The Dacoma Airkeel stabilizer is deemed to revolutionize the way e.g. offshore and inshore installations will be built, maintained, and repaired.
Crew transfer to offshore wind farms, construction sites, and aquaculture facilities will be safer, more comfortable, and more cost effective.
At the same time, our system reduces drag of high-speed vessels and hence helps our customers saving fuel and lowering their carbon footprint. The technology has been tested on a Fast Rescue Boat at our partners, Tuco Marine Group in the south of the island Funen.
The Airkeel technology
Due to Airkeel’s unique and patented design it increases the performance of crew transfer vessels (CTV):
The weather window accessibility is extended by 25%, which means extra +40 days at offshore wind farm sites.
Seasickness is effectively reduced, which improves wind turbine crew productivity.
The added buoyancy increases cargo and crane capacity up to a factor of two. It also reduces hull resistance leading to a higher propulsion efficiency, enhancing speed potential, or saving motor power, engine tear and wear, and greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10%.
Opus Marine
OPUS Marine, one of the leading European providers of offshore services. The company will enable us to mature the system and committed to install the AirKeel solution in their 24m length CTV CarboClyde CTV as in-kind contribution in the project. Opus Marine’ activities comprise commercial and technical management of offshore tonnage, and ship management. Their main business areas are is offshore wind.
The OPUS Marine team will
(1) make CarboClyde available for refit with the Dacoma stabilizer,
(2) provide ship management and crew for tests and demonstrations,
(3) contribute with know-how in CTV design and shipbuilding.
Dacoma
DACOMA is a Danish maritime start-up that designs, manufactures, and delivers innovative wave stabilizer solutions for crew transfer vessels and crew-/workboats. Our product targets the market segments of offshore wind installations, services and operations, aquaculture, offshore constructions, coast-guard and rescue services, small passenger vessels like water busses, super yachts, leisure and tourist boats.
Our goal is to increase productivity of service and installation personnel due to eliminating motion sickness, to make crew transfer safer. Another unique property of our stabilizer is that vessel utilization is increased due to improved seakeeping and due to doubling the workboat load and crane capacity. In addition, our solution saves fuel, is more compact than competing systems and works in a wide speed range.
Dacoma’s vessel stabilizer is based on our own, patented Airkeel technology that we have developed in-house, including our control system, which is the key component.
Tuco
Tuco Marine Group has played a key role in the project so far, enabling TRL 6 full-scale prototyping of the AirKeel thanks to the ProZero platform. The ProZero series is a range of fast work and crewboats designed specifically for professional use. They are built to endure the harsh conditions of operations on open sea while providing the operator with an ideal work environment. With advanced design and sophisticated application of composites materials, the ProZero series offers the customer significant commercial benefits and enhance overall vessel performance and energy efficiency. The ProZero range covers offshore, workboat and vessels for security and defence. Tuco uses a Europewide distribution network, with representatives towards 14 EU member states + UK, NO and CN and service point partners in SE, GR, MY, ZA.
“I’ve been in the crew transfer market for almost two decades now and have closely followed vessel design within offshore wind. The Airkeel is absolutely the greatest innovative step during the last many years. If the Airkeel can give us 40 days more of operations, I will install Airkeels in our entire fleet!”
— Bernhard Messer, Opus Marine
“A lot of our ProZero work- and crewboat customers will benefit from a safer and more stable platform to work from,[…] I’m eager to see how much comfort and safety can be added to a full-size crew transfer vessel in order to increase its operational range”
— Jonas Pedersen, Tuco
“The project is a fantastic opportunity to get faster to the market with our Airkeel stabilizer.
It simply boosts the launch of our product in all segments of crew transfer vessels and workboats, because 4SeasonCTV not only makes the boats perform better under awkward weather conditions.
It also makes life easier and safer for the hard-working crew who builds and maintains wind farms for the benefit of our climate and hence all of us.”
— Arnd Baurichter, Dacoma ApS