Windcat selects Anglo-Eastern to manage its hydrogen-fueled CSOVs

Elevation Series” hydrogen-fueled CSOVs have been designed by Damen Shipyards in cooperation with Windcat and CMB.TECH.

CMB Group’s offshore personnel transfer subsidiary Windcat has selected Hong Kong headquartered Anglo Eastern to manage the hydrogen-fueled Elevation Series CSOVs that it has under construction at the Damen Ha Long shipyard in Vietnam. Windcat had previously selected Anglo-Eastern Technical Services (AETS), Anglo-Eastern’s technical consulting arm, to oversee the construction of the vessels. On delivery, they will now come under Anglo-Eastern’s technical and crewing management.

The signing of the ship management agreement for the first vessel was completed on July 19 in Hong Kong, with Anglo-Eastern calling it a significant development in its strategy of expanding its technical consulting services and fleet management capabilities in the offshore renewable energy sector.

As we reported earlier, the Elevation Series CSOVs are designed to remain at offshore wind farms for up to 30 days, providing aintenance materials and accommodation for up to 90 technicians in hotel-style facilities.

The walk-to-work (W2W) arrangement includes active motion-compensated gangways for enhanced operational efficiency.The 87-meter-long, 20-meter-wide CSOVs will be powered by hydrogen dual-fuel engines.

Equipped with four azimuth thrusters (stern and bow), and a motion-compensated crane, these CSOVs are designed to meet the highest operational and safety standards. The vessels will also provide state-of-the-art living quarters for industrial personnel, ensuring comfort and connectivity with STARLINK-supported network systems.

“Anglo-Eastern is grateful for the trust placed in us by Windcat to be a part of this innovative project developing the next generation of hydrogen-powered offshore vessels,” said Anglo-Eastern CEO Bjorn Hojgaard. “By combining our deep industry knowledge and shared vision for a greener future, we are confident this investment in clean energy technology will pave the way for more environmentally responsible maritime solutions.”

“For us at Windcat, partnering with Anglo-Eastern represents a step forward in our mission to set the standard in the offshore industry,” said Windcat managing director Willem Van Der Wel “With Anglo-Eastern’s extensive global reach and their rich experience in ship management, we can further broaden our horizons and offer the same unparalleled service and innovation that our customers know, to this new vessel type, worldwide. Their in-depth knowledge of larger DP/offshore vessels and well-developed standards of operational excellence complement ours perfectly.”

In April of this year CMB.TECH (then still Euronav NV) reached an agreement covering the sale of its ship management arm, Euronav Ship Management Hellas, to Anglo Eastern.