Den britiske bygge- og anlægsvirksomhed Balfour Beatty, har indgået en aftale om at chartre RoRo færgen ARROW af Isle of Man Steam Packet Company. Balfour Beatty er ansvarlig for bygningen af Lewis Hub og Western Isles High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Link. Projekterne bliver bygget for det skotske transmissionsnet selskab Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission, som er ansvarlig for højspændingsnetværket i det nordlige Skotland.
“By working closely with SSEN Transmission and local partners, we’ve taken a coordinated, long-term approach to logistics that protects essential island services while providing the flexibility and certainty needed to deliver this nationally significant project.”
George Young, Director of Operations at Balfour Beatty.
ARROW skal bruges til at transportere materialer og udstyr til bygningen af Lewis Hub og Western Isles High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Link, uden at den offentlige færgerute mellem Stornoway og Ullapool kommer til at mangle kapacitet. Selve projektet går ud på, at der skal anlægges en 1,7 GW forbindelse fra De Ydre Hebrider indtil fastlandet. Den skal bruges til at levere mere grøn strøm i fremtiden.
“Securing the MV Arrow gives us the confidence and operational capacity to deliver the Lewis Hub project without placing additional pressure on the ferry services island communities depend on. It forms a key part of our integrated logistics approach, providing the certainty and flexibility needed to move people and materials efficiently while safeguarding local transport networks.”
Sandy Mactaggart, Director of Offshore Delivery at SSEN Transmission.
Når ARROW ikke er i brug i forbindelse med projektet, kan den efter aftale blive udlånt til bl.a. Caledonian MacBrayne når de mangler fragtkapacitet, f.eks. i forbindelse med at når færgen LOCH SEAFORTH skal på værft.
“We’re pleased to be supporting SSEN Transmission on making a success of this massive opportunity for the Western Isles. The charter of MV Arrow protects lifeline ferry services, and we look forward to working with SSEN Transmission for the duration of this project on the vessel’s potential availability to maintain essential freight services when MV Loch Seaforth is in her annual overhaul.”
Duncan Mackison, CalMac CEO.
Kilde: SSEN Transmission
