VARD wins new offshore vessel deal

Wind Energy Construction is partly owned by the founders and owners of Norwind Offshore. This is the sixth vessel for Norwind Offshore that VARD has supplied since October 2021, the previous five being CSOVs.

The ECV is a new vessel category of VARD 3 11 design, tailor-made for the offshore wind and subsea market and will be the first to feature a permanently installed motion-compensation gangway.

Along with the walk-to-walk gangway with integrated 3D compensated crane functionality will be a movement-compensated offshore crane of 150 tonnes.

“We are pleased to have – together with VARD – developed a new vessel category which will enable the development of renewable energy to an even greater extent,” said Norwind Offshore’s chief executive, Svein Leon Aure.

“The concept builds on vessels within the construction market which we have previously built with VARD, and we feel confident that this will play an important role in the development of, among other things, offshore wind in the coming years.”

VARD’s contract includes full design, build, outfit and commissioning. The company is delivering a range of SeaQ equipment including SeaQ Power with a 1MWh energy storage system, shore connection, SeaQ Bridge, SeaQ Communication and SeaQ Control.

The new SeaQ Control tool is an integral part of the SeaQ IAS and SeaQ ePMS systems that enable digital solutions to be shared within the cyber-proof network both on board and on shore.

“We are delighted that the people behind Norwind Offshore and Wind Energy Construction chose VARD when broadening their fleet of vessels, this time with their advanced ECVessel targeting both the promising oil & and gas subsea market as well as strengthening the foothold in the renewable offshore wind market,” said senior vice president Sales and Marketing in VARD, Torgeir Haugan.

“Together with the customer we push boundaries and continue to develop our vessels to the best of our customers wanting to be a part of the green transition.”

The vessel will be built, outfitted and commissioned from Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam and is scheduled to be delivered Q2 2027.