Photo credit: CMB.TECH
The Alexander Saverys led-group CMB.TECH has put pen to paper on a large deal for a new class of offshore support vessels.
Windcat, part of the Antwerp-headquartered CMB.TECH, has sealed a deal on Tuesday with Damen Shipyards Group at the offshore energy conference in Amsterdam for a new multi-purpose accommodation support vessel (MP-ASV), with options for five additional vessels of this type.
To be known as the Innovation Series, the new vessels will combine a large open deck with a subsea crane and accommodation for personnel working offshore for extended periods.
Construction of the first multi-purpose accommodation support vessel is scheduled to begin in February 2026, with delivery expected in 2028. Like the Windcat CSOVs, the MP-ASVs will be built at the Ha Long Shipyard in Vietnam.
The order follows the collaboration between Windcat and Damen during the development of the elevation series commissioning services operations vessels (CSOVs).
The MP-ASVs are based on the proven design of the CSOVs but are larger at 102m x 20m, offering deck space of 750m2, subsea crane capacity of 150 tonnes and the ability to launch and recover ROVs.
The vessels will be equipped to accommodate up to 190 persons on board for at least 28 days’ endurance.
The vessels will feature a 3981kWh battery pack on a DC grid for low emissions performance.
Like the Windcat CSOVs, the Innovation Series vessels will integrate a dual-fuel hydrogen engine, enabling the auxiliary genset to run on hydrogen.
Willem van der Wel, managing director at Windcat, said: “Today we introduce a new vessel type, not only to our fleet, but also to the market. We take the best of two worlds: we combine the benefits of a large deck and crane of an MPSV with the comfortable offshore accommodation of an ASV.”
