First offshore wind service vessel from Ulstein Verft launched

Thursday, 28 April, 2016 - 14:30

Ulstein’s new service operation vessel will be working for Siemens and servicing the Gemini offshore wind park. (Photo: Ulstein Group / Marius Beck Dahle)

The first service operation vessel (SOV) within the renewable energy segment, and also the first with the newly-developed X-STERN™ hull line design, has been launched from Norwegian Ulstein Verft.

The service operation vessel for the offshore wind industry is one of two being constructed for Bernhard Schulte Offshore, and will be working for Siemens. It will be servicing the Gemini offshore wind park in the Dutch part of the North Sea scheduled for completion in the spring of 2017 with a total capacity of 600 MW.

Both new vessels are based on the SX175 design from Ulstein, and are equipped with the hull features X-BOW and X-STERN in order to improve the sea characteristics when the vessels are positioned alongside the wind turbines during transferal of service technicians from the vessel through a heave compensated gangway.

The SOVs have accommodation for 60 persons in single cabins, of which 40 cabins are dedicated to technicians. The final detailed arrangements and equipment for the vessels have been developed and specified in cooperation with WINDEA Offshore, which is the Bernhard Schulte Offshore’s affiliate for offshore wind projects.

Ulstein Group has previously delivered ship designs for the renewable energy segment, but the Bernhard Schulte Offshore vessels are the first offshore wind service vessels to be constructed at Ulstein Verft. The ship design and shipbuilding contract on the two SOVs were signed in 2015.

Silke Funke / Ulstein

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