Having designed an innovative oil recovery vessel, Gobbler Boats’ Managing Director Paul Jauncey approached GROW:OffshoreWind for funding to help get the boat into production. GROW:OSW provided £49k towards the cost of the plugs and moulds and the Gobbler Offshore 290 was launched on 4th June 2015.
The vessel’s first public showing was a few days later at SeaWork International in Southampton, where the vessel won the prestigious Spirit of Innovation award.
The Gobbler Offshore 290 is a two-man, 28’ hybrid Rapid Response Oil Spill Recovery Vessel (RROSRV), offering a cost-effective, high performance solution for offshore and coastline oil recovery operations. The vessel can be ship or trailer launched and can achieve 20 knots with its jet propelled marine diesel engine.
Paul Jauncey said: “The help we received from GROW:OffshoreWind set us on the road to success. Without that injection of funds, we would not be where we are today. We are extremely appreciative of the timely contribution that helped us with our quest to make the world a safer, cleaner place, and we look forward to doing our part to help the Offshore Wind sector for many years to come.”