Edda Wind wins long term charters for advanced offshore wind service vessels

Two CSOVs are being built at Astilleros Gondan [Image: Salt Ship Design]

Edda Wind, the offshore wind segment of Norway’s Østensjø Group, has signed long term time charter agreements with MHI Vestas and Ocean Breeze Energy respectively for two of four offshore wind vessels that it has on order at Spanish shipyards.

The vessels will be delivered with technology that will see emission of greenhouse gases reduced by a minimum 30%. They will also be prepared for installation of zero emission hydrogen technology.

The charter agreement with MHI Vestas for a newbuild Service Operation Vessel (SOV) will commence in second quarter 2022 and has a firm period of 15 years.

The charter agreement with Ocean Breeze will commence in first quarter of 2021 and has a firm period of 11 years. The contract will be served by a frontrunner vessel for the first year before the newbuild Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) will be delivered in first quarter 2022.

The ships have been designed by Salt Ship Design and will serve as mother vessels for wind turbine technicians as they perform commissioning and maintenance work on offshore wind turbines.

The CSOVs are 88.3 meters in lenght and the SOVs are 82.4 m in length. All have high standard cabins and common areas, with the CSOVs accommodating up to 120 persons and the SOVs up to 60 persons.

“It is fantastic for us to be able to secure long term charters for two of our four newbuilds. The trust experienced SOV users like MHI Vestas and Ocean Breeze have in Edda Wind, is a confirmation that the vessels we have developed are very attractive and will become optimal tools for our clients. With these two contracts, Edda Wind has become a major player in the offshore wind market,” says Kenneth Walland, Chief Executive Officer in Østensjø Rederi.

“When MHI Vestas was assessing suppliers for our newest Service Operation Vessels, Edda Wind stood out for many reasons, one of which was their emphasis on decarbonizing their next-generation fleet of supply vessels. We are pleased that their new technology will enable us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our service fleet,” said Flemming Ougaard, MHI Vestas Chief Operations Officer. “Further, the upside of potentially fueling the SOV with zero-emission hydrogen is very exciting and supports our objectives to decarbonize our operations.”

“As operator of the BARD Offshore 1 wind farm, a pioneer project situated 100 km away from the shore, Ocean Breeze Energy is constantly improving its logistics set-up in order best to address the challenges of far-offshore operations. Following an extensive market screening using the know-how we have accumulated over almost 10 years of operation, we are very pleased to reach a new milestone – entering a long-term partnership with Edda Wind for a best in class, environmentally sustainable vessel tailored to our needs”, said Jean Huby, Ocean Breeze Energy Chief Executive Officer.

Edda Wind has signed a construction contract for the two CSOVs at Astilleros Gondan and a construction contract for the two SOVs at Astilleros Balenciaga.

Substantial efforts have been made in order to build the most environmentally friendly vessels. The newbuilds are equipped with a battery hybrid propulsion system, which, together with other energy saving equipment, will reduce emission of greenhouse gases significantly. The generators onboard are IMO tier 3 certified. Together with partners, Østensjø Rederi is working on developing new technologies based on hydrogen as a safe and efficient energy source. The newbuilds are prepared for future installation of this novel technology, which will turn the vessels into zero emission vessels without compromising operational capabilities, i.e. they have endurance to operate on hydrogen throughout their operational cycles.

The preparations for future zero emission propulsion systems are being made possible by funding from Enova SF, a Norwegian government enterprise responsible for promotion of environmentally friendly production and consumption of energy. The upgrades include complete tank systems for hydrogen storage, dedicated machinery space for fuel cells, battery hybrid system, novel type propulsors and an extensive package of energy saving measures for most auxiliary systems such as HVAC and pumps systems.

“In order to achieve zero-emission in offshore operations, there’s a need for new solutions both for further reduction of energy consumption and for utilizing alternative fuels. These vessels will contribute in both respects. The technologies developed and incorporated here will also be transferrable to other shipping segments”, says Astrid Lilliestråle, Head of Transport at Enova.