Belgian offshore services contractor Deme saw the hull of its first-ever Service Operation Vessel (SOV) launched at the Cemre shipyard in Yalova, Turkey.
The twin-hull vessel named ‘Groene Wind’ (Green Wind), will be used for offshore wind farm maintenance works in Belgium following the delivery next year.
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy will charter the vessel for the maintenance of the Rentel and Mermaid & Seastar (known as SeaMade) offshore wind farms in Belgium.
"This is the first DP2, twin-hulled SOV in the world and the first to serve three different wind farm sites," Deme said.
Deme said that the vessel's twin hull design ensures low wave impact on movements when approaching wind turbines, compared to a traditional monohull SOV.
"Groene Wind’ will enable safe crew transfers in significant wave heights. Her DP2 technology means that the vessel can hold its position in rough seas but at the same time operate with lower fuel consumption when compared to traditional SOVs. An impressive fuel consumption reduction of up to 50% can be achieved compared to a monohull SOV, further reducing the cost of wind farm maintenance," Deme said.
The 60 meters long SOV will be equipped with a motion-compensated gangway and daughter craft to transfer technicians to the wind turbines. It will be able to accommodate up to 24 technicians and a nautical crew.