WAVECRAFT™ Voyager vessels are designed as an air-cushion catamaran, based on proven surface-effect ship (SES) technology (illustration: Umoe Mandal AS)

Umoe Mandal’s WAVECRAFT™ series of high-speed, all-composite service vessels have been purpose-designed for fast crew transport, and offer offshore operators a long-range economical, commercially feasible and safe alternative to helicopters.

Umoe Mandal AS, a specialist Norwegian shipyard, has now launched its WAVECRAFT™ Voyager series, customised to deliver substantially reduced transit time, excellent seakeeping and superior fuel economy, transferring personnel to far-from-shore installations so smoothly that they arrive refreshed and immediately ready for work.

“The market has been waiting for this,” says Are Søreng, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Umoe Mandal. “Any operator that is shuttling crew by helicopter today is thinking about reducing their use. Not only can we offer a commercially-viable alternative to helicopters, WAVECRAFT™ Voyager really doesn’t have an equivalent vessel in the market for comparison.”

WAVECRAFT™ Voyager may be delivered in a standard or as a high-performance version. Both have equally unmatched speed and seakeeping capabilities, and offer superior fuel economy, reducing environmental impact and downtime, and increasing overall productivity. WAVECRAFT™ Voyager maintains this excellent performance even in high sea states and can transport crew at sprint speed of 58+ knots.

WAVECRAFT™ Voyager vessels are designed as an air-cushion catamaran, based on proven surface-effect ship technology (SES), which has been successfully employed for more than 25 years on numerous Umoe Mandal deliveries to navies and to other commercial applications.

Utilising an active vertical motion damping system, WAVECRAFT™ Voyager allows for reaching the offshore installations even when the distance from harbour is far and the weather for safe operations is narrow in almost half the time, compared to alternative vessels. While reducing wave-induced motions on the vessel, Voyager offers unrivalled seakeeping capabilities, which virtually eliminates sea-sickness. “To our knowledge, WAVECRAFT™ vessels are the only vessels that can control heave motions”, notes Søreng.

“We understand that these vessels will work in harsh, remote conditions and they are designed to excel in this environment,” he adds. “When we deliver a vessel we ensure its crew is fully trained in its operation, so that they can maximise performance and maintain the vessel in good order with a comprehensive spare parts package.”

Umoe Mandal offers alternative vessels in its WAVECRAFT™ series, tailored to suit crew transfers for particular applications in renewable energy and defence sectors.

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