Two CSOVs join Isle of Man fleet

There are no offshore wind farms currently in operation around the Isle of Man, however Ørsted is proposing to develop its first one – the Mooir Vannin project. 

Ørsted says plans are being brought forward for the site, which according to offshore wind analysts 4C Offshore will comprise up to 100 turbines with a total generation capacity of 1.4GW.

The site is a 250 km² area off the east coast of the island that was leased to Ørsted by the Manx government in 2015 to explore the potential for a wind farm.

About 1.4GW could be generated by the array, with Orsted investigating subsea connections to national grids in the UK and the Isle of Man.

The two vessels on order will be designed and built by Vard and owned by UK-based ship owner Purus, which won his year’s Seawork Sustainability Innovation award for doing its utmost to keep its operations clean.

Each vessel will have 85 cabins for 120 workers and a maximum speed of 13 knots. As well as the battery option, the vessels will be designed to be methanol ready, the Isle of Man Ship Registry (IOMSR) says.

The vessels will have walk-to-work systems for personnel and cargo transfer.