Walk to Work vessel Kasteelborg christened in Port of Den Helder

On the Nieuwediepkade in the port of Den Helder, the second Walk to Work vessel in the fleet of Wagenborg Offshore was unveiled on Thursday 25 October 2018. The Walk to Work Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel Kasteelborg was christened by Mrs. Marjan van Loon, CEO Shell Netherlands.

Kasteelborg will serve as standby and support vessel in collaboration with the Kroonborg, which was commissioned almost three years ago, with maintenance of the unmanned platforms on the southern North Sea. Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) and Shell UK Exploration & Production (Shell UK) have signed a 6-year agreement with Wagenborg Offshore for the deployment of this second 'Walk-to-Work Vessel' (W2W). 

The Kasteelborg is similar in size to Kroonborg, but her activities are different in nature. Kasteelborg is mainly used for emergency work and interventions, such as starting up installations and performing minor corrective maintenance. This allows the Kroonborg to concentrate on the larger planned maintenance campaigns. Both vessels operate from Den Helder, since this port is located strategically with respect to the southern North Sea.

With the arrival of Kasteelborg, NAM and Shell UK can further decomplex their platforms, make them more sustainable and give them new functions. With this, old and new forms of energy go hand in hand on the North Sea. NAM, Shell and Wagenborg are joining that future together.