North Star shipping is expanding its team to help leverage its expertise beyond the UK and into Europe as it seeks to galvanise its offshore wind growth ambitions.
Caspar Blum has been appointed into the newly created role of European renewables lead.
Based at the Hanseatic Trade Center at the Am Sandtorkai 74 building, he will be the main focal point for the business within the region, with a direct report into North Star’s CEO, Matthew Gordon at the firm’s HQ in Aberdeen, UK.
“I’m thrilled to embark on this new professional chapter as North Star’s European renewables lead in Hamburg,” he said.
”I look forward to working with the team and putting my expertise and capabilities to good use driving renewable energy solutions to support our clients across Europe.”
Growth opportunities
Caspar’s appointment will support the business to realise significant opportunities in the region as more countries seek energy supply security through new investment in offshore wind.
The 135-year-old organisation is well positioned to leverage its shipbuilding delivery and seafaring expertise to provide its VARD designed, hybrid-electric service operations vessels (SOVs) to developers across the region.
Developed with comfort and operability as priorities, its fleet provides high quality accommodation and a logistics hub for in field technicians working on a windfarm’s construction phase, as well as supporting operations and maintenance campaigns once operational.
Caspar has more than a decade’s experience in the offshore sector and joins the company after five years at Amplemann Operations B.V. As its market lead, he successfully developed and executed strategies for a number of the company’s SOV product lines, helping the technology firm to exceed revenue targets for 2022.
Prior to this, he worked at Baltic Diver Germany as a tender manager for a couple of years following a two-year stint as a shipbroker in Aberdeen for GRS Group.
North Star aims to increase its fleet with the addition of 40 renewables ships by 2040. It has recently taken delivery of its first two of four ordered SOVs (the Grampian Tyne and Grampian Derwent); all are bound for ten year minimum charters in the North Sea.
The company has also invested in its first of up to four commissioning SOVs (CSOVs). The first two of VARD 4 22 design, with new methanol ready hybrid-propulsion solutions and an increased number of single cabins, are due for delivery in 2025.
