Ainscough Crane Hire assists on the launch of offshore wind farm service vessel

Ainscough Crane Hire has successfully launched an offshore wind farm service vessel for Manor Marine, a new customer that specialises in ship building and marine engineering.

The vessel, which was built for offshore services provider Mainprize Offshore, has a cargo capacity of 40t, seating for 24 passengers, 175sqm of deck space and a maximum speed of 27 knots.

The 26m  Supa Swath catamaran, also referred to as MO8, required two cranes from Ainscough’s heavy crane fleet, the 500T and 750T, along with a team of 14 over the course of three days.

Making sure there was no structural impact to the vessel during its delivery into the water, the Ainscough team transported the MO8 while inside a container, meaning there was no direct contact between the crane and the newly constructed vessel.

Constructed on-site in Portland, Dorset, the MO8 was built just a stone’s throw from the water it would be launched into, allowing for an efficient and controlled transfer from land to sea.

Ainscough Crane Hire was approached to assist on the lifting by UK-based Manor Marine. Following an in-person meeting and a site survey, Ainscough delivered a launch plan and won the job based on the team’s engagement throughout the process.

Mainprize has ordered another vessel of the same kind from Manor Marine, named MO9, which is due for delivery later in 2023.

Graeme Harrison, heavy cranes technical manager at Ainscough, said, “Supporting on the launch of the MO8 required a high level of planning and organisation from our Heavy Cranes team. After carefully considering the delivery, the job went ahead smoothly and efficiently – even despite poor weather conditions.

“With the A MO9 on its way later this year, we hope this is the start of a long-standing professional relationship between Ainscough and Manor Marine, and we look forward to supporting on future lifts.”

The MO8 is the first of three vessels being launched by Manor Marine.