It made for a curious sight off our coast for two months
An accommodation platform that looks like a North Sea oil rig has been spotted off Cornwall.
The Seafox 7 platform, a four-legged, self-elevating jack-up unit designed for offshore accommodation, construction and maintenance at sea, was spotted sheltering in Mount’s Bay off Penzance earlier this week.
The American-built platform, which was designed to withstand harsh offshore environments and conditions and is capable of operating throughout the year in water depths of up to 40 metres, had been on its way from Southampton to the Irish Sea where offshore wind turbines are being erected. It is used to house staff working on jobs such as oil rigs and building offshore wind farms.
However, as Storms Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra bore down on Cornwall and the South West, Seafox 7 was stopped in its tracks and sought shelter in Mount’s Bay.
Now its owner has shed some light on its presence after being approached by CornwallLive.
Celine Ruhulessin, executive secretary with Seafox, a global offshore jack-up company that provides services to the oil and gas and renewable energy industries, said platforms like Seafox 7 cannot be transported in rough seas, which explains why it was ‘stuck’ off Cornwall for weeks. It needed three to four days of calm seas to go round to the Isle of Man were it was destined, but this break in the weather did not come until now.
Ms Ruhulessin said that only 25 people have been on board while here. Seafox 7 can accommodate up to 113 people on board.
She said: “Seafox 7 just left Penzance. It was there to wait for a weather window to go to the next destination.”
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