Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) REM Power was named at a ceremony in Aalesund, Norway on Friday.
The Rem Power, owned by Rem Purus, designed to offer services and maintenance operations at offshore wind farms, was named in the center of Ålesund in front of shipbuilder VARD’s headquarters.
This is the first of two CSOVs VARD is delivering to Rem Purus.
The REM Power is a CSOV of the VARD 4 19 design, developed by Vard Design. The vessel is equipped to provide services during both construction, operation, and maintenance of offshore wind farms.
CEO of Rem Offshore, Lars Conradi Andersen said: "We have emphasized on developing an attractive and future-oriented vessel with low emissions together with VARD, and have, among other things, prepared it for zero-emission operation through charging at sea. It is therefore very gratifying to find that the Rem Power is delivered on time and goes straight to work in a good market. The market looks good in all our segments, and Rem is well positioned with the most modern and energy-efficient fleet in the industry."
The Rem Power CSOV will work in the renewables market, first for Asso Subsea, before going on a longer contract for the energy company RWE.
Rem Offshore has a British company Purus Marine as an owner in its wind investment.
The vessel has a diesel-electric and battery hybrid propulsion system designed for flexible and fuel-efficient operation. Room was allocated onboard for future upgrades or conversion to zero-emission energy sources.
According to Vard, REM Power is the first vessel to take part in the testing of the Ocean Charger project – a project by VARD with partners, to develop a maritime value chain for offshore wind with offshore energy transfer. By connecting vessels to the power grid in the wind farm/harbor and charging batteries regularly, the aim is to power operations with a minimum of additional energy sources. The project is awarded funding by the Norwegian Government’s Green Platform Initiative.
Read more: Project Launched to Develop Offshore Charging Solutions for Offshore Wind Vessels
"The SeaQ bridge is the highest level of bridge integration with an extended architecture, utilizing a combination of VARD developed integration solutions, combined with touch monitors to gather various systems into one operator station, backed by full-featured onboard commissioning and verification features," Vard said.
According to Vard, the REM Power will be the world's first vessel to be equipped with VARD daughter SEAONICS’ Electric Controlled Motion Compensated (ECMC) crane.
"This system allows to always keep the load close to the crane tip from the deck level to the TP platform. The new and innovative crane ensures quick and safe cargo transfer," Vard explained.
Also, REM Power is said to be the first in the world to be equipped with Kongsberg Rim azimuth propellers as the main propulsion.
"This is a propeller variant that can be rotated freely to an arbitrary horizontal angle. These give the vessel far better maneuverability. Permanent magnetic motors provide a compact, highly responsive, and energy-efficient thruster, while keeping operating and service costs low. The thrusters can also contribute to motion damping in DP operations. Furthermore, the vessel is equipped with a Kongsberg RIM DRIVE tunnel thruster, which provides high hydrodynamic efficiency and low noise and vibrations," the shipbuilder said.
The hull of REM Power was built at Vard Braila in Romania and outfitted and finalized at Vard Søviknes in Norway. Currently, the vessel is undergoing its final tests before delivery and entering operations. The second vessel will be built and delivered by Vard Vung Tau in Vietnam, scheduled for delivery in 2024.
The REM Power is 85 meters long, 19,5 meters wide and can accommodate up to 120 persons, including 93 wind farm technicians and a crew of up to 27.
Kongsberg is delivering decision support system for the integrated bridge system for the vessel.
The Rem Power is the first vessel of the type to be equipped with Metizoft Life Cycle Assessment system (LCA), that measure the vessel’s environmental impacts throughout each stage of the lifecycle, from raw materials extraction to disposal. By analyzing all relevant Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) a complete assessment of the total environmental impact is made, Vard explained.
Also, Uptime is delivering the 30m AMC logistic walk to work system consisting of world's first autonomous gangway with artificial intelligence, combined with an integrated elevator tower for personnel and cargo logistics. The W2W system features with auto-landing, slip-off detection, integrated crane function for cargo handling, integrated transfer-lines, stepless access for personnel and cargo.
Furthermore, a specialized daughter craft delivered by Mare Safety will be used to transport of technicians and cargo between the CSOV and the wind turbines. The DC is certified according to emissions (Tier III), and has a stabilizing gyro to enhance performance and comfort.
Alberto Maestrini, Vard CEO said:"We are proud to be a part of this highly innovative pioneer project and the preferred partner for Rem Purus. We have promised to contribute to the green transition, and with this project we are accelerating towards sustainability with our innovative solutions and readiness for zero emission energy sources and ensuring future-oriented efficient handling operations. We continue to enable sustainable business at sea together with our customers and partners."