Southampton Marine Services has delivered its latest workboat, the 20.45 metre Svitzer Merlin, to global marine giant Svitzer.
The 20.45 metre Svitzer Merlin is the forerunner in Southampton Marine Services’ new Bulldog range of robust workboats. A Bulldog 20, the new vessel is a repeat Svitzer order for Southampton Marine Services, being similar to the Middlesbrough-based Svitzer Leven. A multi-purpose harbour workboat, the Svitzer Merlin takes her place in the Svitzer fleet being based at Milford Haven. A member of the Maersk Group, Svitzer is a leading operator in its field with 440 vessels in 32 countries around the world.
Chris Norman, Managing Director of Southampton Marine Services says the Svitzer Merlin has been built on the skill and experience the yard has developed with other vessels such as the Alyssa and the Svitzer Leven. “The quality and durability of the Bulldog 20 Svitzer Merlin makes her stand out above all other workboats on the market,” he says.
“The team from Svitzer approached the build of Svitzer Merlin in an extremely professional and organised manner, this coupled with SMS’s refined build processes allowed the Bulldog 20 to be built and launched within five months.”
Keith Furlong, Svitzer’s Port Manager at Milford Haven comments on the new acquisition. “Once in service, Svitzer Merlin will have an important role to play in Svitzer’s operation up and down Milford Haven supporting some of the very largest oil and gas ships that visit our waters paying attention to safety and timeliness. Seeing her now, I am sure that she has a long future ahead and we cannot wait for her to enter service.” he says.
“I was really pleased with the speed at which the build progressed once the first steel was cut, but without feeling rushed. More importantly, each workboat often requires minor modifications to make her as good as she can be and it was great to be able to visit the yard during the build.
