Norway-based GC Rieber Shipping has ordered two WindKeeper Service Operation Vessels for offshore wind operations from the Cemre shipyard in Turkey. The order includes options for two further vessels. The first vessel will be delivered in Q1 2025.
According to GC Rieber Shipping, WindKeeper is an innovative Service Operation Vessel (SOV) based on Small Water Area Twin Hull (SWATH) methodology and design.
The design offers improved operability, ultra-low fuel consumption, and the option of fully electric operations in field, the company said.
GC Rieber has set up a subsidiary WindKeeper AS for the WindKeeper vessels. Total investment in WindKeeper is about EUR 110 million, GC Rieber shipping said .
"The project and vessels are fully financed through a combination of equity and debt financing. Sparebanken Vest and Eksfin has provided long term loan facilities of minimum EUR 51 million," the company added.
GC Rieber Shipping CEO Einar Ytredal, said:"In 2020, GC Rieber Shipping made a strategic decision to become a pure shipowner and project-house with focus on developing profitable and sustainable maritime projects. We are proud to launch WindKeeper as our first project.
"The solidity of environmental and operational performances of WindKeeper are a testament to the strong technical capabilities within GC Rieber Shipping. Coming off close to a decade of downturn in the offshore industry, being able to finance and realize such a project on a stand-alone basis, further evidences the strong capacities of the project house. Our ambition is to build WindKeeper into a substantial and valuable player in the offshore wind industry,”
Christoffer Knudsen, GC Rieber Shipping CCO, said; “We look forward to showing future clients and the market the exceptional performance of WindKeeper! WindKeeper will drive down charterers daily costs and substantially reduce their emissions, improving their environmental footprint. We believe WindKeeper will be a preferred alternative for this decade. WindKeeper’s Charge2Work, zero emission alternative, further allows for the option of fully electric operations in field.”