Dutch offshore wind farm developer Eneco has signed a 5-year crew transfer vessel charter and partnership agreement with offshore vessel owner Windcat.
The deal entails the transport of technicians offshore and will also allow the companies to collaborate on the decarbonization of Eneco’s marine logistics using Windcat’s hydrogen dual-fuel solutions. The first vessel for this charter has been operational since January 1, 2023.
The vessel will be customized to Eneco’s needs, amongst others, by the installation of an IMO Tier III engine. This engine uses a SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system, which reduces NOx emissions. The vessel will operate from IJmuiden and provide access to Eneco’s offshore wind farms Prinses Amalia Windpark, Luchterduinen, and Hollandse Kust Noord.
"The high performance Windcat 32 vessel used for this charter is a highly fuel-efficient vessel with high safety standards. Going forward, the use of hydrogen will be further explored for further reduction of emissions from crew transfer vessels. Both Windcat and Eneco prioritize emission reduction," Wincat said.
Windcat Managing Director, Willem van der Wel said: “With the Hydrocat 48, we invested heavily in emission reduction by using a dual-fuel hydrogen engine, one of the reasons Eneco wanted to partner with us. Windcat looks forward to this collaboration that will ensure the decarbonization of Eneco’s logistics. We will continue to work on developing the customized service that meets Eneco’s needs.”
According to Windcat, the partnership allows for additional vessels to be used, to further support the existing projects and also new offshore wind farm projects that Eneco will be part of.