Rix Sea Shuttle proud to have been awarded a contract at one of Europe’s largest offshore wind farms

The work was awarded by Reef Subsea to support their two cable installation vessels at the RWE Innogy Gwynt y Môr development. Gwynt y Môr is one of the largest offshore wind farms currently under construction in Europe and once completed, will consist of 160 turbines with the combined capacity of 576MW – enough energy to power around 400,000 homes¹. It is situated off the North Wales coast and is forecast to be finished by the end of this year.

James Doyle, managing director of Rix Sea Shuttle, said the contract represented a step up in the work the company was carrying out in the renewables industry and put them at the centre of the crew transfer vessel market. Reef Subsea has employed two Rix Sea Shuttle crew support boats – the Panther and the Tiger – to aid cable installations vessels Polar Prince and Polar King.

Mr Doyle said: “We are delighted to win a contract on what is a hugely important project for the renewable energy industry. It will be a real source of pride to be able to say we had a small hand in building it. The two vessels we have supplied will be used to take engineers and technicians to and from individual wind turbines to support both first end and second end pull-in operations. One will operate 24/7 while the other will provides daytime support, then they will reverse roles to ensure the crews are properly rested.”

He added one of the attractions of Rix Sea Shuttle was a significant investment in vital spares for each of their vessels, meaning the company could deal with any breakdowns very quickly. "We have spare engines and propellers in stock which means if anything should go wrong we can still keep to the project time line,” he said. “That gives the client considerable peace of mind.”

Anthony Michelin, project director at Reef Subsea, said the company appointed Rix Sea Shuttle because of its experience in the shipping industry and a high level of professionalism. Rix Sea Shuttle is part of Hull family firm J.R. Rix and Sons which has been operating cargo ships, marine tankers and barges for more than 100 years. Mr Michelin said: “Although Rix Sea Shuttle is a new company it is part of a group which was founded more than a century ago on the marine industry and as such, contains a lot of the experience and knowledge we were looking for. That, combined with professionalism and a real enthusiasm for the job means they are adding significant value to what is a challenging but very rewarding build project.”