Damen Shipyards, Windcat and CMB.TECH are celebrating the launch of the first of six Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOV). The launch marks the inauguration of Windcat’s ‘Elevation Series’ of future-proof offshore wind farm maintenance and support vessels, which have been designed in close collaboration with Windcat and CMB.TECH.
The launch ceremony took place on 12 October at Ha Long Shipyard in Vietnam, where Damen is constructing all six CSOVs. With this first CSOV in the water, Damen will continue with its outfitting and commissioning operations to prepare the vessel for delivery in Q2 2025.
Damen, Windcat and CMB.TECH first announced their intention to develop and build a series of offshore wind farm support vessels together back in 2022. After an initial contract for two ships, Windcat increased the order to six vessels, with the last contract being signed mid-2024.
Talking shortly after the launch of this widely anticipated first example of ‘Elevation Series’ CSOV, Windcat Managing Director Willem van der Wel said: “We have been working with Damen towards this day for some years now and to see the first CSOV glide into the water was truly a special moment. We are excited for this first vessel to hit the water today and look forward to introducing this game-changing vessel to the world next year.”
Compared to earlier designs of offshore wind farm support vessel, this CSOV represents advances in efficiency, performance and comfort. The 87-metre long vessel is designed around best in class offshore performance, with various new technologies on board to achieve this. The vessel will accommodate up to 120 people on board, remaining at its offshore location to provide in-field technical and maintenance support for up to 30 days at a time. Particular attention has been given to provide offshore personnel with the most comfortable conditions to live and work during their time on board.
“We are especially proud of the efficiency gains that this vessel is expected to deliver,” added Damen Sales Manager Benelux Joost van der Weiden. “The hybrid-electric propulsion system coupled with an efficient power distribution system means that there will be no need to run a backup diesel generator and the vessel will never use more power than necessary. And we have optimized the thruster configuration, enhancing the dynamic positioning during transfer operations. All in all, we expect innovations like these to add up to substantial reductions in fuel consumption and, therefore, emissions.”
Reducing CO2 emissions further, the Damen / Windcat / CMB.TECH cooperation has taken a proactive stance on the subject of future fuels. The consequence of this is that, thanks to CMB.TECH’s dual fuel hydrogen technology, the entire series of six vessels will be able to use hydrogen as a fuel, increasing this hydrogen use as the energy market progresses.