Edda Wind has ordered three more commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs), as it expands its fleet to meet growing appetite from offshore wind developers.
The three newbuilds will be added to the six the company already has under construction, and takes Edda’s total fleet to 11 purpose-built offshore wind service vessels.
Formed as a pure-play offshore wind unit of maritime services group Østensjø in 2015, Edda listed on the Oslo Stock exchange in Q4 2021, raising almost NOK 1 billion (£84 million) in new capital.
Its vessels are specially designed for service operations during the commissioning and operation of offshore wind farms. Six are already contracted on mid- to long term contracts with offshore wind developers including Ørsted, Vestas, Ocean Breeze, SSE and Siemens Gamesa.
Edda says all nine of its most recent newbuilds will also be capable of using “zero-emission technology” and are being outfitted with a battery hybrid propulsion system during construction, as well as the capability to adopt hydrogen propulsion systems in future.
One newbuild will be built at Astilleros Gondan in Spain with a Salt 0217 design, and a planned delivery in July 2024.
Two will be built at Colombo Shipyard, Sri Lanka, based on a Salt 0425 design – a further variation of the 0217 design. The first vessel will be delivered in January 2024 and the second in July 2024.
Edda said it has further options with both yards to build additional vessels.
These 89.3m vessels will function as mother ships for wind turbine technicians as they perform commissioning and maintenance work on the wind turbines, with accommodation for up to 97 technicians and 23 marine crew onboard and a motion compensated gangway system with an adjustable pedestal.
Norwegian suppliers will deliver a major part of the vessel’s main systems, amounting to about 30% of total deliveries at Gondan and about 40% at Colombo. The CSOVs will be delivered under the Norwegian flag.
“Ordering another three purpose-built CSOVs will further strengthen Edda Wind’s leading position within offshore wind. By building a series of vessels like this, and with the experience and knowledge we have from the vessels currently under constructions, we are able to acquire these vessels at competitive prices,” said Edda Wind chief executive Kenneth Walland.
“Tremendous growth is expected in the offshore wind market over the next decades, and the move is a clear signal on Edda Wind’s ambition to be a world-leading provider in this segment.”
It comes as offshore service groups race to build capacity ahead of a wave of anticipated work in the North Sea and further afield.
UK-based North Star Renewables has several offshore wind services vessels and associated daughter craft on order from VARD’s Vung Tau shipyard in Vietnam, following its clinching of exclusive contracts to support development of the 3.6GW Dogger Bank scheme.
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