Damen Shipyards, Windcat and CMB.TECH have unveiled the first of six commissioning service operation vessels (CSOV).
The launch took place on October 12 at Ha Long Shipyard in Vietnam, where Damen is constructing all six CSOVs.
It 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.
With this first CSOV in the water, Damen will continue with its outfitting and commissioning operations to prepare the vessel for delivery in the second quarter of 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.
Photo credit: Windcat
After an initial contract for two ships, Windcat increased the order to six vessels, with the last contract being signed mid-2024.
As reported, the entire series of six vessels will be able to use hydrogen as a fuel, benefitting from CMB.TECH’s dual fuel hydrogen technology.
“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,” said Windcat managing director Willem van der Wel.
The 87-metre-long vessel is designed around best in class offshore performance, Windcat said in its statement, 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.
“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,” noted Damen Sales Manager Benelux Joost van der Weiden.
Video credit: Windcat
