Bernard Schulte Offshore takes delivery of its second new Ulstein CSOV: Windea Clausius

L to R : Lars Lühr Olsen, managing director Ulstein Verft; Matthias Müller, managing director Bernhard Schulte Offshore; Godmother Melanie Reinke of Windea Offshore; Martinus Warholm, project manager Ulstein Verft; Rainer Müller, Captain Windea Clausius; Ian Beveridge, CEO Bernhard Schulte [Photo: ©Ulstein Group]

Bernhard Schulte Offshore (BSO) has taken delivery of its newest Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) built by Ulstein Verft in Norway. The vessel, named Windea Clausius, was officially christened on September 4 and will serve the global offshore energy industry.

“The new Windea Clausius completes our modern offshore fleet which now comprises five state-of-the-art vessels,” says Matthias Müller, managing director at Bernhard Schulte Offshore. “The new ship and its sister vessel Windea Curie, which has been already delivered in June, are characterized by their innovative design features focused on reliability, operability, flexibility, and sustainability.”

“The delivery of Windea Clausius marks another important milestone in our long-standing collaboration with Bernhard Schulte Offshore. This vessel represents the forefront of maritime innovation, with a strong focus on sustainability, flexibility, and safety. We are proud to contribute to the green transition in the offshore industry by delivering solutions that combine high performance with a low environmental footprint,” says Lars Lühr Olsen, managing director, Ulstein Verft.

Designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS, Windea Clausius features the pioneering Twin X-Stern configuration, with azimuth propulsion at both ends, ensuring optimal performance in dynamic positioning (DP) operations, enhanced fuel efficiency, and improved operability in harsh offshore conditions. Regardless of whether the vessel is facing towards or away from the weather, with two sterns it maintains excellent operability and flexibility. With the Twin X-Stern design, the ship can minimize motion—critical for safe gangway operations as well as crew and personnel well-being.m

Equipped with a large, height-adjustable, centrally located walk-to-work gangway and elevator tower for personnel and cargo transfers, the vessel also includes a 3D motion-compensated crane for offshore lifts of up to five tonnes. Onboard logistics are optimized with spacious storage areas and stepless access to offshore installations. In addition, Windea Clausius features a height-adjustable boat landing system that allows for safe and stepless transfer of personnel and equipment between the CSOV and smaller crew transfer vessels—an important safety aspect especially while operating within offshore wind farms.

The new Windea Clausius offers up to 90 cabins with windows for charterers’ offshore personnel. In total, there are 111 cabins providing comfortable living conditions for up to 132 individuals. With hybrid battery propulsion and methanol fuel readiness, the vessel is designed for low-carbon operations and is ideally suited for both operations and maintenance (O&M) and construction support roles, particularly in harsh offshore environments.

The newbuilding is named after the German physicist Rudolf Clausius whose work on thermodynamics established fundamental principles for understanding energy transformations, including wind energy. The naming continues the tradition of naming BSO’s offshore vessels after outstanding personalities and scientists, as exemplified by the Windea La Cour, Windea Leibniz, Windea Jules Vern, and Windea Curie.