The roughly 300-ton XV Patrick Blackett has a 100-ton deck capacity, space to secure two TEU containers and a single knuckle-boom crane. It supplies the containers with electrical power, cooling water and data connections. A proposed operational support vessel would carry six to eight TEUs, offer roughly 3,000 nautical miles of range at 20 knots, and have a helicopter landing area. Technicians arriving with spare parts and tools would also need accommodation, cooking facilities and sanitation during repairs. Those requirements point toward adapted offshore-support vessels that could operate without a permanent crew while embarking people when needed.
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From XV Patrick Blackett to optionally crewed support ships
Increasing a trials ship's payload and range creates an optionally crewed support vessel with provision for technicians and repairs at sea.