Ulstein Floats Out Offshore Wind Vessel

Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein has floated out the hull of a wind farm support vessel it is building for Bernard Schulte.

The service operation vessel (SOV), yard number 315 at Ulstein Verft, was floated out from the yard’s dock hall on Sunday afternoon.

The hybrid vessel has now been positioned in the outer dock for further outfitting and testing.

"The painting of the vessel’s exterior was completed prior to the float-out. The commissioning stage of the project is ongoing, the switchboards have been powered up and main engines started. Also, the provision crane has been tested and testing of the davits have commenced. The inclining test is scheduled in the last part of February," Ulstein said.

In cooperation with the owner Bernhard Schulte, Ulstein has designed a diesel-electric propulsion system assisted by batteries to reduce operating hours on the main engines, save fuel and reduce environmental footprint.

The vessel will stay in the outer dock for some time, and later it will be moved to the outfitting quay. Sea trials are scheduled to start early March.

The newbuild SOV will work for GE Renewable Energy on the Merkur Offshore Wind Farm offshore Germany.