"ESVAGT is very satisfied with the modification of ESVAGT LEAH and ESVAGT HEIDI at Ulstein shipyard, and we appreciate the high-quality workmanship and proactive cooperation with Ulstein Power & Control and Ulstein shipyard throughout the process for both vessels," comments Kristian Ole Jakobsen, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO).
ESVAGT press release stating: "A vessel you can count on"
ESVAGT posted a news update on 7 January 2022, after having tried their new additions to their fleet:
"Both are fine vessels, and they have done a good job in building them," says Jesper Møhring Madsen, captain of 'Esvagt Heidi':
"From design to craftsmanship, there is quality in everything. All the joints, the painting work, the piping - it's meticulous throughout," he says.
Hans Pauli vid Misá, who is the captain of 'Esvagt Leah', echoes the statement:
"You can tell it is a fine and well-maintained vessel, well looked after and cared for. It sits well at sea, too," he says.
Both 'Esvagt Leah' and 'Esvagt Heidi' are X-BOW vessels by Ulstein design. The characteristic bow provides a stable vessel in severe weather. This is a clear plus in the North Sea, where high speed in headwinds and bad weather is often required.
Both captains and the vessels' chief engineers have been on board the ships as guests and observers for a few weeks to see how they act in operation. Hans Pauli vid Misá took part as 'Esvagt Leah' had a cargo run in bad weather ? a valuable experience, he says:
"We saw what the vessel was able to do under pressure. It's a vessel you can count on and be comfortable with, and that is very nice to know," he says.
Read ESVAGT's full press release.
Ulstein Power & Control has a large delivery scope on these ships.
"We were on-board during the sea trial and test, which mark the completion of our first phase of delivery", says Per Olav Hansen, the Ulstein Power & Control project manager for the ESVAGT project. "Our delivery includes the installation of the shore power connection, the installation of the Energy Management System (EMS system), a comprehensive rebuild of the switchboards and changes in the automation systems (Power Management and Integrated Automation). The next phase for us on these projects will be to deliver the battery containers in the spring of 2022. Close collaboration across companies has made this a good project for the whole of Ulstein", he comments.
Tommy Norhagen is project manager from Ulstein Verft. "This has been an important project for us. We are still in the midst of a pandemic, but we have shown that Ulstein is able to carry out such conversion projects at our own shipyard and to deliver on time."
Esvagt Leah (first name Blue Fighter) and Esvagt Heidi (first name Blue Prosper) were built as platform supply vessels at Ulstein Verft, and were both delivered in 2012.
