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UK OSV owner and operator North Star has become the first to adopt and deploy a vessel design for the offshore wind sector aimed at filling a new operational role between crew transfer vessels (CTVs) and service operation vessels (SOVs).
The so-called Midi-SOV, introduced last year by UK-based ship designer Chartwell Marine and Fincantieri-controlled Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, is a 55-m-long unit ready for build in the European, Asian, and US markets.
North Star has entered into an agreement with Chartwell and VARD to invest in upfront design fees to facilitate vessel construction for European operations.
Chartwell and Vard said their solution is intended to directly complement existing fleets as it addresses challenges in the offshore wind sector by bridging the gap between CTVs and SOVs, “providing enhanced comfort and workability while offering a cost-effective alternative to full-scale SOVs”.
The vessel can be equipped with methanol-diesel engines, electric propulsion, and a supporting energy storage system. It boasts a capacity of 36 single bunk cabins for special-purpose ship crew, 20 crew cabins, and crew facilities.
“North Star has been investigating this sector for several years and initiated the collaborative project with Chartwell and Vard as a route to market,! said Andrew Duncan, renewables and innovations director at North Star, adding: “Our assessment has shown that the Midi-SOV has a key role to play in European offshore wind vessel fleets, particularly as activity ramps up in the North Sea and the Baltics.”
The Partners Group-owned North Star, with bases in Aberdeen, Lowestoft, Newcastle, and Hamburg, operates 41 multipurpose ships in the North Sea. It also has three of four newbuild SOVs in operation at the Dogger Bank wind farm, with the final asset on schedule for early delivery next year. The firm has a further four newbuilds underway – an SOV for EnBW’s He Dreiht wind farm in Germany, another for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy at the East Anglia Three project, and its first two larger commissioning SOVs to further support its offshore wind clients. The company plans to add 40 offshore wind vessels to its fleet by 2040 and has recently secured £425m ($544m) in financing to speed up its fleet expansion. |
