VIDEO: Eastern Shipbuilding moves ahead on OSV to SOV conversion

Written by Nick Blenkey

Photo: Eastern Shipbuilding Group

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Panama City, Fla., has released video showing that it is well along with its conversion of a 280-foot offshore supply vessel (OSV) to a battery-hybrid service operation vessel (SOV), the HOS Rocinante, for Hornbeck Offshore Services (HOS).

The vessel is one of a number of 280-foot class OSVs acquired by HOS in 2023. It is being converted at the company’s Allanton Shipyard and will emerge from the OSV to SOV conversion as a U.S.-flag, Jones Act compliant vessel capable of supporting both construction and O&M activities.

Hornbeck Offshore Services taps Eastern for OSV to SOV conversion

“This dual-service SOV/flotel is designed to meet the growing needs of the U.S. offshore wind industry while continuing to serve the petro-energy flotel market,” says Eastern Shipbuilding. “The HOS Rocinante conversion is a groundbreaking project that underscores our commitment to innovation in the shipbuilding industry. We are proud to be the first to pioneer this transformation with a vessel originally built by us in 2014 as a 280-foot offshore supply vessel (OSV), now being converted at our 300-acre Allanton Shipyard.

The OSV to SOV conversion will see the vessel’s existing diesel-electric powerplant enhanced by a 1,500 kW-hour battery hybrid power system, enabling reduced emission during offshore operations and in harbor transit.

As we reported earlier, the HOS Rocinante has been designed in collaboration with Vard Marine, its original designer, to address the key “desirements” of the U.S. offshore wind client community based upon Vard’s other recent SOV designs. It will have capacity to accommodate up to 90 or more persons in flotel or offshore wind service mode, with safe, stepless walk-to-work transfer capabilities in up to 2.5 meter sea states. The SOV will be equipped with an Uptime International AS 30-meter motion-compensated offshore gangway, a 10-ton 3D-compensated crane, helideck, enclosed warehouse and stepless boat landing.

The SOV accommodations will be constructed to ABS Comfort Class habitability notation standards, and will include a range of onboard amenities typical of a newbuild SOV.