Schulte back at Ulstein for third offshore wind SOV

Written by Nick Blenkey
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Vessel will be built to Ulstein SX195 design

JULY 31, 2018 — Germany’s Bernard Schulte Offshore has signed a contract with Norwegian shipbuilder Ulstein Verft covering construction of an offshore wind service operation vessel (SOV).

The ship will be built to the Ulstein SX195 design type developed by Ulstein Design & Solutions and will support maintenance work by GE Renewable Energy at Germany’s Merkur Offshore wind farm.

The project has been developed in cooperation with WINDEA Offshore GmbH & Co. KG, a joint venture of Bernhard Schulte Offshore, Buss Offshore Solutions, EMS Maritime Offshore and SSC Wind EMEA.

“Ulstein Verft is a very reliable shipyard and we are eager to start working together with Ulstein again. We have worked closely and successfully together on two former projects, and these vessels are operating very well in the field,” says Matthias Müller, Managing Director at Bernhard Schulte Offshore.

“We have previously designed and built several vessels within the renewable energy segment. Sustainable growth is essential for us and we look forward to working with Bernhard Schulte again, an important player in the offshore wind segment,” says Ulstein Group CEO Gunvor Ulstein.

“This will be our third service operation vessel for Bernhard Schulte and it shall be delivered early 2020. The first two vessels were delivered in 2016 and 2017. We will do our outmost to fulfil their expectations also this time,” says Kristian Sætre, Managing Director at Ulstein Verft.

The vessel’s design has been modified to meet the GE Renewable Energy tender requirements and the shipowner’s special choices of mission equipment.

It has a large, centrally positioned walk to work motion compensated gangway & elevator tower for personnel and cargo transfers. Additionally, a 3D compensated crane capable of two-ton cargo lifts is available. The optimized on-board logistics includes large storage capacities, of which half is under roof in a controlled environment, and stepless approach to the offshore installations.

The vessel is equipped with a fuel-efficient drive system including a battery-solution from Ulstein.

With all main equipment and operations in the aft ship, the vessel will operate astern while in-field. Keeping its X-Stern towards the weather will avoid slamming, noise or vibrations caused by waves, enabling the crew to get complete rest between shifts.

The vessel will be 93.4 m long and 18 m wide and accommodate up to 120 people.

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