The 19.4-metre vessel has been bought for use on a multi-year project supporting transmission system operator TenneT on its offshore grid connection systems in the North Sea. Bohlen & Doyen’s new acquisition will be used for a wide variety of support tasks in the coastal waters of Germany, including pushing and pulling barges, supplying fuel and water, transporting equipment and personnel to and from the working areas, and utilising its crane across multiple scenarios. Its minimum draught of just one metre will enable it to access waters that very few other vessels can safely reach. Not for nothing are Damen’s Multi Cats known as the Swiss Army knives of the workboat world.

The German-flagged Multi Cat 1908 SD is specially designed to operate in shallow waters, with an operational draft between 1.0 and 1.2 metres. In addition to the standard specification, Bohlen & Doyen requested a towing hook, a wooden bulwark between the pushbows and additional lashing points. A cooling radiator has also been added to enable the generator to provide power while the vessel is beached. To further optimise the vessel for its role it has been equipped to use Panolin GreenMarine biodegradable hydraulic oil to allow it to operate in the Wadden Sea.

The rapid delivery was possible due to Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld having a series-produced vessel in stock, ready for delivery following any adjustments required by the customer. With the hulls fabricated at Damen Shipyards Koźle in Poland, it is a 100% European-built ship.

“We are very pleased to add this ultra shallow draft vessel to our fleet, providing us with an even wider range of applications in our hydraulic engineering department”, said Tim Hameister, CFO of Bohlen & Doyen. “In particular, the very short delivery time and the quick implementation of our special requests by Damen Shipyards Hardinxveld convinced us.”

“Bohlen & Doyen has been active in energy infrastructure construction for over 70 years,” says Damen Sales Manager North-West Europe Joschka Böddeling, “and we are very pleased that they have come to us for their first vessel in a long time. We are confident that they will find it a valuable addition to their asset portfolio, capable of undertaking a wide range of activities wherever there is water.”