A SOUTHAMPTON shipping firm has been awarded further funding to help improve safety on boats used to maintain off-shore wind farms.

The Carbon Trust has provided cash for a system which is jointly developed by BMT Nigel Gee and Houlder allowing vessels to get alongside turbines for maintenance crews to work on them.

Rollers allow the vessel to push up to the boat landing underneath the turbine and the new system, known as TAS, will reduce and control the motion of the vessel and can be rapidly installed on both new and old wind farm support vessels.

John Bonafoux, managing director of BMT Nigel Gee said: “The whole TAS team is delighted to have secured this support from the Carbon Trust.”

“The patented TAS system has benefited from significant development effort by both companies and interest is now being shown by a wide variety of operators.”