Norwegian offshore wind service vessel firm Edda Wind has ordered another commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) from Gondan Shipbuilders, in Spain.
The newbuild will be of Salt 0474 design, which is a further development of the Salt 0217 design and will be delivered in April 2025. In addition, the company has an option with the yard for one more vessel.
Including the latest newbuild, Edda Wind will have a fleet of 10 purpose-built vessels, of which six are currently under contract. This will be vessel number six in the series built at Gondan in addition to the existing vessels Edda Passat and Edda Mistral delivered by the same yard in 2018.
“The industry has experienced an increase in shipbuilding prices of about 20 % in just a year. Therefore, we are satisfied having placed an order that represents a total ready for sea cost in the low Eur 60’s million. This includes a high specification in line with Edda Wind’s philosophy, e.g., Hydrogen-ready, Voith Schneider propulsion, highest standard of accommodation as well as extensive energy optimization solutions to increase energy efficiency and reduce emissions,” said Kenneth Walland, CEO of Edda Wind.
“The equity portion of this investment is fully funded as part of the capital raise done during the IPO. Tremendous growth is expected in the offshore wind market over the next decades. Edda Wind has a clear ambition to grow the fleet beyond the ten vessels already ordered to maintain its position as a leading CSOV company.”
The 89.3-meter-long vessel will function as mother ship for wind turbine technicians as they perform commissioning and maintenance work on the wind turbines. Edda Wind said the newbuild will feature comfortable cabins and high-standard common areas can accommodate up to 97 technicians and 23 marine crew onboard.
Anti-heeling and roll reduction systems will provide good working conditions onboard, the company siad. The motion-compensated gangway system will ensure safe and optimal connections to the turbines, even in harsh weather conditions. The design is optimized for an efficient logistical operation for the turbine technicians.
“The main design objective is to build the most environmentally friendly vessels without compromising operational capabilities. The vessel design will reduce emission of greenhouse gases significantly. The vessels will also be prepared for future zero-emission operations based on Enova support. This technology is based on Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC), which will ensure safe and efficient use of hydrogen as an energy source,” Walland said.