Damen Shipyards, Windcat and CMB.TECH have launched the first of six commissioning service operation vessels (CSOV).
The launch marks the inauguration of Windcat’s Elevation Series of offshore wind farm maintenance and support vessels, which have been designed collaboratively by the three companies.
The launch ceremony took place at Ha Long Shipyard in Vietnam, where Damen is constructing the six CSOVs. With the first CSOV in the water, Damen will continue with its outfitting and commissioning operations to prepare the vessel for delivery next year.
The companies first announced their intention to develop and build a series of offshore wind farm support vessels together in 2022. After an initial contract for two ships, Windcat increased the order to six vessels, with the last contract being signed this year.
The 87-meter long vessel can accommodate 120 people on board, remaining at its offshore location to provide in-field technical and maintenance support for up to 30 days at a time. With CMB.TECH’s dual fuel hydrogen technology, the series of vessels are set to use hydrogen as a fuel.
“We are especially proud of the efficiency gains that this vessel is expected to deliver,” says Joost van der Weiden, Damen sales manager, BeNeLux.
“The hybrid-electric propulsion system coupled with an efficient power distribution system means that there will be no need to run a backup diesel generator and the vessel will never use more power than necessary. And we have optimized the thruster configuration, enhancing the dynamic positioning during transfer operations. All in all, we expect innovations like these to add up to substantial reductions in fuel consumption and, therefore, emissions.”
