Windward Offshore granted loan for four CSOVs

Scheduled for completed delivery this year and next, the first of the four Commissioning Service Operation Vessels, Windward Athens, was launched at Vard’s shipyard in Romania earlier this month.

A senior loan facility has been secured with Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (Crédit Agricole) and Export Finance Norway (Eksfin) and will be drawn in tranches upon the delivery of each vessel, Windward Offshore says.

The 87.5m vessels will be fitted with W-type motion-compensated gangways by Ampelmann; 3D motion-compensated cranes by Seaonics; MAN main engines that are designed to be able to run on methanol if desired; and wireless connectivity systems by ScanReach. They will also have a battery-hybrid system.

Windward Offshore will initially focus on CSOVs before providing what it calls integrated solutions, combining vessels with engineering, maintenance and operation services to support commissioning and maintenance phases.

“We are grateful for this new partnership with top lenders Crédit Agricole and Eksfin, securing this very attractive financing for our fleet,” said Bastian Hagebeuker, managing director of Windward Offshore. “It underlines the parties’ dedication to support the growth of the offshore wind industry and marks the start for a long-standing collaboration in the future.”