As part of CMB.TECH, Windcat, Europe’s premier offshore people transfer firm, has ordered six Elevation Series CSOVs from Damen Shipyards. Windcat will now collaborate with Anglo-Eastern on the technical and crewing management of these vessels.
Windcat has already appointed Anglo-Eastern Technical Services (AETS), Anglo-Eastern’s technical consultancy arm, to oversee the construction of six sophisticated future-proof Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) in October 2021. These vessels will be managed by Anglo-Eastern upon delivery, thus strengthening the link between Anglo-Eastern and the CMB.TECH group, particularly through the establishment of cooperation with Windcat. The ship management agreement for the first vessel was signed on July 19 in Hong Kong. This agreement is a significant step forward in Anglo-Eastern’s aim to extend its technical consultancy services and fleet management skills in the offshore renewable energy sector.
The CSOVs are specialised vessels that stay in offshore wind farms for up to 30 days, supplying maintenance materials and housing up to 90 technicians in hotel-style accommodations. The 87-meter-long, 20-meter-wide CSOVs will be fuelled by hydrogen. Six vessels will be built at the Ha Long Shipyard in Vietnam and operated by Windcat. The first Windcat CSOV will go into service in 2025. To improve operating efficiency, the walk-to-work (W2W) layout includes active motion-compensated gangways.
These CSOVs are outfitted with four azimuth thrusters (stern and bow) and a motion-compensated crane to meet the most stringent operating and safety requirements. The vessels will also have cutting-edge living quarters for industrial people, ensuring comfort and communication via STARLINK-supported network systems.
In keeping with CMB.TECH’s aim to decarbonising the maritime industry, these vessels will be outfitted with dual-fuel hydrogen engines, resulting in lower emissions. Notably, these are the first ships of this class to run on hydrogen. This ground-breaking effort demonstrates Anglo-Eastern and CMB.TECH’s shared ambition of advancing the marine industry towards a more sustainable future.
“Anglo-Eastern is grateful for the trust placed in us by Windcat to be a part of this innovative project developing the next generation of hydrogen-powered offshore vessels,” according to Bjorn Hojgaard, CEO of Anglo “By combining our deep industry knowledge and shared vision for a greener future, we are confident this investment in clean energy technology will pave the way for more environmentally responsible maritime solutions.”
Windcat’s Managing Director, Willem Van Der Wel, says: “Partnering with Anglo-Eastern is a step forward in our objective to establish the standard in the offshore business. With Anglo-Eastern’s large global reach and considerable ship management experience, we can widen our horizons and provide the same unmatched service and innovation that our customers expect to this new vessel type internationally. Their extensive experience with larger DP/offshore vessels, as well as their well-developed operational excellence standards, compliment ours admirably.”
Anglo-Eastern will manage the CSOVs comprehensively as part of this agreement, which will be supported by a team of industry specialists with extensive offshore operations and vessel management experience. The AETS team provides important knowledge in project oversight, technical advice, and fleet optimisation, assuring the effective delivery and operation of these cutting-edge, hydrogen-powered vessels.
Marex Media
