North Star takes ‘milestone step’ with SOV sale

German utility EnBW has given North Star a contract to build a hybrid-electric Service Operations Vessel (SOV) on a decade-long minimum charter to service its He Dreiht wind farm off the coast of Germany.

North Star is treating the contract as a ‘milestone step’ in its European growth strategy to add 40 new SOVs to its fleet by 2040.

The newbuild is a Vard 407 design and includes Voith Schneider eVSP propulsion. It has been prepared to use methanol as a fuel.

The ship is also fully equipped with a height adjustable motion compensated gangway and 3D compensated crane.

“Penetrating the European offshore wind sector so promptly after establishing our presence in Hamburg last summer is testament to our service-led approach and passion to deliver SOVs that easily integrate into wind farm operations and O&M strategies,” said North Star European renewables lead Caspar Blum.

“With high operability a key component to providing fast, safe and efficient personnel transfers, we worked closely with EnBW and Vard to develop a robust and superior SOV to mitigate sea state and wave height challenges.”

Michael Splett, Global Head of O&M Wind Offshore at EnBW, said: “This vessel will be the backbone of our service and logistics operations at our He Dreiht wind farm.

“Working with North Star, we were able to specify its set-up to ideally meet the requirements of our operations teams. Its methanol-based propulsion system helps us to further decarbonise our industry’s operations. This aligns with EnBW’s strategy of continually optimising the operation of its offshore wind farms through the deployment of new technologies in the field.”

Scheduled to commence long-term charter with EnBW from the end of next year, the walk-to-work vessel will provide in-field accommodation for up to 34 wind technicians as they maintain the 64 wind turbines, located around 90km northwest of the island of Borkum and 110km west of Helgoland. The SOV will also act as a logistics hub and warehouse.

This is the seventh newbuild SOV for North Star since entering the renewables market in 2021.