Leo Hambro and (R) Adam Wright have plans for a new boat design that will serve the offshore windfarms. Picture: Ian Burt.

A Norfolk company has secured a £300,000 deal to ferry offshore wind farm workers to and from Lowestoft.

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Docking-based Tidal Transit has won the £300,000 deal with Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Ltd (GGOWL) to transfer workers from Lowestoft to the proposed 140-turbine wind farm off the Suffolk coast.

Although only a five-month deal, the contract will mean the creation of three new jobs and comes barely a few weeks after its innovative work boat, the Ginny Louise, arrived in Norfolk from Spain, where it was built.

A second vessel, Eden Rose, is expected to be delivered in the next eight weeks, and with about 4,000 offshore wind turbines either under construction or waiting for the planning green light, hopes are high that the deal is the first of many new contracts.

Tidal Transit commercial director Leo Hambro teamed up with operations director Adam Wright to create the new venture

Mr Hambro said: “It’s the first job for the company in its own right. It lasts for five months from February 20 and means we will be employing a further three people for the period and hopefully longer term. We’re taking the crews to and from Lowestoft to the Greater Gabbard and moving them between the different turbines.”

The contract comes as the company’s achievements have also attracted the interest of the East of England Energy Group reaching the final of its 2012 Energy Innovation Award programme.

Owen Nutt, site manager at GGOWL’s Lowestoft base, said: “Innovation is one of the key parts of a successful project and we’re always looking at new technologies and equipment to help us produce the best results.

“It’s great to be able to work with a local company and look forward to the addition of Ginny Louise to our fleet.”

shaun.lowthorpe@archant.co.uk