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Work Vessel News

02 Feb 2024

Indian Shipyard to Build North Star’s Offshore Wind SOV

North Star's new SOV (Credit: North Star)

North Star has confirmed that India-based Cochin Shipyard will build its new hybrid-electric service operations vessel (SOV), bound for EnBW on a decade-long minimum charter at offshore wind farm in Germany.The contract award for Cochin Shipyard follows the one secured by North Star from EnBW on February 1, 2024, which outlines the engagement of the SOV at the He Dreiht offshroe wind farm.The hybrid-electric newbuild is of VARD 407 design which has been tailored to meet EnBW’s…

02 Feb 2024

North Star to Deliver Hybrid-Electric SOV for German Offshore Wind Farm

North Star's new SOV (Credit: North Star)

North Star has secured a contract with energy utility giant EnBW to deliver a new hybrid-electric service operations vessel (SOV) on a decade-long minimum charter to service the He Dreiht wind farm off the coast of Germany.The agreement marks the company’s first offshore wind move outside the UK market, a milestone mark in its ambitious European growth strategy to add 40 new SOVs to its fleet by 2040.The newbuild is of VARD 407 design which has been tailored to meet EnBW’s specific…

28 Dec 2023

Island Offshore Lines Up Long-term Work for Island Condor

(Photo: Kongsberg Maritime)

Norwegian shipowner Island Offshore announced it has secured long-term employment for its offshore support vessel Island Condor, commencing in autumn 2024."This is a fantastic Christmas gift for the company! We have worked purposefully to secure longer assignments and are grateful for the trust the customer has shown us," said Tommy Walaunet, managing director of Island Offshore Management AS.Having worked as a walk-to-work vessel in the British sector for many years, apart from Norwegian projects in the past year…

17 Feb 2023

Equinor Extends Charter for Island Offshore's Supply Vessel

The Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor has given a longer-term charter to the Island Commander offshore supply vessel.The vessel, which is owned by Island Offshore, is currently on spot assignment for the same company.The 2009-built offshore vessel will now stay on a charter with Equinor for another seven months. Equinor will have two two-month options to extend the contract further.Island Offshore says that with this contract, it now has two offshore supply vessels and one walk-to-work vessel working for Equinor. Battery packs have been installed on all three vessels. In addition, Island Offshore said it was working with Equinor to assess the possibilities for modifying the LNG-powered vessel Island Crusader to use ammonia as fuel.Earlier this week…

13 Jan 2023

Vessel Retrofits Could Accelerate U.S. Offshore Wind Development

Photo courtesy Bernhard Schulte Offshore /Matthias Giebichenstein

The U.S. Administration’s strategy to fast-track offshore wind development is exciting for overseas shipbuilders and service providers in the field. Joint ventures meeting Jones Act requirements will support accelerating development. Some question, however, whether ambitious 2030 targets can actually be achieved.Ulstein group is a front runner. The Norwegian-based company has already provided the design for a rock installation vessel now under construction for a joint venture between Houston-based Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD) and Netherlands based Van Oord.

14 Oct 2022

Equinor Awards $235,6M in Offshore Vessel Deals

Stril Luna
(Photo: Astilleros Gondan / Simon Møkster Shipping)

Equinor, a Norwegian oil company, said on Friday that it had recently awarded six offshore vessel contracts to five shipowners. The total value of the contracts, including options, is estimated to be more than NOK 2.5 billion ($235,6 million). The six platform supply vessels will be managed by Simon Møkster Shipping AS (Stril Luna & Stril Mar vessels), Island Offshore Management AS (Island Crusader vessel), Eidesvik AS (Viking Avant vessel), Remøy Shipping AS (Rem Hrist vessel) and P/F Skansi Offshore (Kongsborg vessel).

16 Sep 2022

CBED's Wind Innovation SOV Extends Stay at German Wind Farm Project

Credit: CBED

Offshore accommodation company CBED has won a contract extension for its Wind Innovation service operations vessel Wind Innovation.Back in May, the company secured a contract for the vessel at the DanTysk and Sandbank offshore wind farms in the German North Sea.Now, the extension has been secured with the wind farm owner, a joint venture between Vattenfall Europe Windkraft GmbH and Stadtwerke München GmbH Vattenfall, securing full activity for the SOV, Wind Innovation, from Q1 to Q4 2023.

16 Jun 2022

Bourbon Inks Partnership Deal with Integrated Wind Solution

Bourbon entered into a strategic partnership with IWS Fleet AS, the vessel owning company of Integrated Wind Solutions ASA  to address the French commissioning and maintenance market of offshore wind farms. This agreement will allow Bourbon to market and operate the IWS’s “Skywalker class” windfarm specialized support walk-to-work vessels in France. The ship management will be performed by the French affiliate Bourbon Offshore Surf, with a strong footprint on French Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, as the group currently employs about 500 French seafarers with relevant offshore experience.IWS currently has four vessels under construction, the two first IWS vessels will be delivered in Q2/Q3 2023 and the remaining two in the first half of 2024.

21 Jan 2022

Norside to Convert Platform Supplier into Offshore Wind W2W Vessel

Credit: Ulstein

Norwegian shipowning company Norside has taken ownership of Blue Ship Invest’s platform supply vessel ‘Farland’ and will convert it into a walk-to-work vessel for the offshore wind industry."The PX121 design by Ulstein has once more proven to be a preferred design for conversions into new segments, and 'Farland' is about to transfer from the offshore oil & gas industry to the offshore wind industry," Ulstein, a Norwegian shipbuilder and designer said this week.Hans Martin Gravdal…

17 Jan 2022

Offshore Wind: First Steel Cut for IWS Fleet's Construction Service Operation Vessel

Credit: IWS Fleet

Norway-based offshore shipowner IWS Fleet said Monday that the first steel had been cut in China for its Construction Service Operation Vessel (CSOV).The steel cutting ceremony was held at the China Merchants Heavy Industry facility in Jiangsu, China, on Friday,  January 14, 2022.The walk-to-work vessel will be named IWS Skywalker and start its first contract at the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in summer 2023. The giant 3.6GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm is owned by SSE, Equinor, and ENI.The…

16 Nov 2021

VIDEO: Niestern Sander Launches Walk-to-work Icebreaker

Credit: Royal Niestern Sander

Dutch shipbuilder Royal Niestern Sander last weekend launched "yard number 862", a shallow draft ice-breaking walk to work vessel, being built for a joint venture between the Russian companies Mercury Sakhalin and Pola."The world’s first ice-breaking walk-to-work vessel is one step closer to delivery and operations in harsh weather conditions in Sakhalin. To be continued!," the shipbuilder said in a press statement on Tuesday.The shallow draft ice-breaking walk-to-work vessel is designed and optimized for year-round operations in the challenging conditions on the east coast of Sakhalin…

23 Sep 2021

GE Charters Acta Marine's SOV for French Offshore Wind Farm Work

Acta Auriga .- Credit: Acta Marine

Offshore wind turbine maker GE Renewable Energy has chartered Acta Marine's Service Operation Vessel Acta Auriga for the commissioning activities of 80 Haliade 150-6MW turbines at the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm in France.The vessel will start operating on behalf of GE Renewable Energy in the second quarter of 2022 when the offshore wind turbine installation is set to kick off.Departing from the Port of Saint-Nazaire, the vessel will assist in the mechanical completion and commissioning of the 80 Haliade 150-6MW offshore wind turbines located around 12km off the coast.

02 Jun 2021

Awind's Newbuild Vessel to Support Construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm

Credit: Awind

Norwegian-based Awind has secured a charter contract for its first “walk-to-work” Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) at the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in the UK.The contract at what will become the world's largest offshore wind farm will start in the second quarter of 2023. Awind, a subsidiary of Awilco affiliate Integrated Wind Solutions AS (IWS), ordered a pair of hybrid-electric commissioning, service, and operations vessels (CSOV) from China Merchants Industry in Hong Kong…

25 May 2021

Island Offshore Bags Walk-to-Work Vessel Contract at UK Wind Farm

Norwegian offshore vessel firm Island Offshore said Tuesday it had won a vessel contract at the Moray East offshore wind farm in the UK.With its Island Crown vessel, Island Offshore is providing the wind farm operator MOWEL with Walk-to-Work services.The Island Crown has already started the project for Moray East, operating out of Peterhead, north-east in Scotland.The vessel is used to accommodate and transfer technicians and equipment for work on the windfarm’s three offshore substation platforms."These operations are scheduled to last until the last part of June 2021, with potential extensions into July 2021," Island Offshore said in a social media post.Built in 2013, 96.8 meters long Island Crown can accommodate 100 crew members aboard.

26 Mar 2021

GC Rieber Delivers Polar Queen to Schmidt Ocean Institute

Polar Queen/Credit: GC Rieber Shipping

Norwegian offshore vessel owner GC Rieber Shipping has delivered the Polar Queen vessel to new owners Schmidt Ocean Institute. The company announced the sale of the IMR vessel in February."The vessel has today been delivered to the new owner," GC Rieber Shipping said in a brief statement on Tuesday, without disclosing the name of the buyer. U.S.-based Schmidt Ocean Institute has said it acquired the vessel—now renamed Falkor (too)—for use as an oceanographic research ship.The Polar Queen is an IMR / walk-to-work vessel, built at Freire Shipyard in 2011.

22 Feb 2021

GC Rieber Shipping Nets Extension for Polar Onyx, Sells Polar Queen Vessel

Polar Queen/Credit: GC Rieber Shipping

Norwegian shipowner GC Rieber Shipping has won a contract extension for its Polar Onyx vessel with DeepOcean. Separately, the company said Monday it had agreed to sell the Polar Queen vessel."GC Rieber Shipping has agreed with DeepOcean BV to extend the charter of the SURF vessel Polar Onyx until the end of May 2021," the company said.The extended period will be in direct continuation of the ongoing charter in Ghana, which started in January 2018.Separately. GC Rieber Shipping said it had agreed to sell its IMR / Walk-to-Work vessel Polar Queen…

13 Nov 2020

Steerprop Azimuth Propulsion for Icebreaking W2W Vessel

Image Credit: Royal Niestern Sander

Finland-based propulsion specialist Steerprop has recently won a contract to deliver azimuth units as the main propulsion and steering system for a shallow-draught ice-breaking vessel being built for offshore oil operations in the Russian Far East.The 75.9 meters long, 14 meters wide vessel is being built by the Dutch shipyard Royal Niestern Sander for the Russian companies Mercury Sakhalin and Pola.The walk-to-work vessel will operate all year round in harsh ice conditions, transferring service technicians and equipment to and from offshore platforms off the Sakhalin Island.

24 Sep 2020

Schottel Thrusters for Russia-bound Ice-Breaking W2W Vessel

Credit;: Schottel

Dutch shipbuilder Royal Niestern Sander has ordered Schottel thrusters for what has been described as the world's first shallow-draught ice-breaking walk-to-work vessel, targeted for operation at the Russian Far East.Under the order from a joint venture between the Russian companies Mercury Sakhalin and Pola, Royal Niestern Sander is constructing the 75.9-meter-long, 14-meter-wide vessel that will serve the offshore oil and gas installations near the Sakhalin Island, Russia.After ordering an ice-strengthened gangway for the vessel form Ampelmann in June…

24 Jun 2020

Kooiman Marine Completes Vessel Conversion for Van Stee Offshore

Image Credit: Kooiman Marine

Dutch shipbuilding group Kooiman Marine has completed the conversion of Van Stee Offshore's new Multi-Purpose DP-2 Support Vessel Zwerver I.Kooiman Marine said Wednesday that the final work on the vessel has been completed and the “Zwerver I” is ready to be deployed. After having already designed and built three vessels for Van Stee offshore, former HvS Dredging Support, this is the first vessel conversion that Kooiman Marine Group has realized for Van Stee.The average bollard pull of the “Zwerver I’’ consists of 66T with a maximum value of 69T.

11 Jun 2020

Ampelmann's Gangway for New Ice-Breaking W2W Vessel

Image 3 – The N-type system operating in the extreme-cold winter conditions off the coast of Sakhalin, Russia - Source: Ampelmann

Dutch offshore crew transfer specialist Ampelmann will deliver an ice-strengthened gangway for the recently ordered, Russia-bound, shallow draft ice-breaking walk to work vessel.As previously reported, Dutch shipbuilder Niestern Sander, with compatriot vessel-owner Wagenborg Offshore, signed a deal with Mercury Sakhalin and Pola for the construction of the vessel. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2021, and will serve the oil and gas industry in Russia's far east.In a statement on Thursday…

02 Jun 2020

Russian JV Orders Walk-to-work Icebreaker

(Image: Royal Niestern Sander)

After a tender procedure, Dutch shipyard Royal Niestern Sander and a joint-venture between Russia's Mercury Sakhalin and Pola have signed an agreement for the construction of the world’s first shallow draft ice-breaking walk to work vessel. After delivery in December 2021, Mercury Sakhalin will operate this vessel on the East Coast of Sakhalin, Russia for the offshore oil and gas industry.Acting as an intermediary between both parties, Wagenborg Offshore have contributed to the…

11 May 2020

Equinor Extends Island Clipper Charter

Island Clipper - Credit: Island Offshore

Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor has extended the contract for Island Offshore's Island Clipper platform supply vessel.Equinor and Island Offshore had in 2018 signed a three-year contract /with options to extend) for the use of the vessel both as a PSV and a walk to work vessel, with the contract starting in April 2019.Island Offshore on Monday via social media announced that the contract would be extended for another year, keeping the vessel busy until Spring 2023.The vessel…

28 Apr 2020

Schottel to Power 'Wind of Hope'

Image Credit: Schottel

Schottel will provide a range of propulsion systems for Louis Dreyfus Armateurs's second wind farm service operation vessel (SOV) the Wind of Hope.The new walk-to-work vessel, a sister vessel to the Wind of Change SOV, is currently under construction at Cemre shipyard in Turkey and will enter service operating under a long-term contract with Ørsted.The propulsion system of the vessel designed by Salt Ship Design vessel is powered by four diesel generators, which drive the electric motors of the Schottel propulsion package.

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