North Star has secured a contract with Siemens Gamesa to build a hybrid service operations vessel (SOV) bound for long-term charter at the East Anglia THREE offshore wind farm in UK.
Cochin Shipyard has been confirmed to build the SOV of VARD 4 19 design for North Star’s growing fleet.
The high specification vessel will accommodate up to 60 of its client’s wind technicians as they support maintenance operations across all 95 wind turbines at the East Anglia Hub development. To ensure safe crew transfers, it has a height adjustable motion compensated gangway and also features North Star’s Decision Support system to support zero carbon objectives.
The new SOV is due to be delivered to Siemens Gamesa to commence operations for the East Anglia THREE development in late 2026. The contract will be front run by one of North Star’s two commissioning SOVs, the CSOV Kestrel from April the same year.
The company, which in addition to Lowestoft, has bases in Aberdeen, Newcastle and Hamburg, plans to recruit a further 34 crew for the new SOV.
The East Anglia THREE wind farm, located off the Suffolk coast in England, will have a total capacity of 1,400MW, generating green electricity to power the equivalent of more than 1.3 million homes.
“This marks our first SOV contract in the southern North Sea, which will be serviced by our talented operational team stationed strategically in the region to provide dedicated support throughout this new long-term partnership. It also presents a wealth of prospects for both our seasoned seafarers and aspiring crew members, while opening up additional opportunities for our local supply chain,” said Robert Catchpole, North Star chief operating officer.
“It’s fantastic to have North Star on board for East Anglia THREE and playing a major role in powering a clean energy future for us all. This is a great example of the opportunities windfarms like ours can create for local supply chains and underlines the East of England’s position as a global center of excellence for the offshore wind industry,” added Pedro Fernandez, ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia THREE.
This adds an eighth hybrid offshore wind ship to the organization’s renewables fleet since it expanded into the market two-and-a-half years ago, and another notable benchmark on its strategic journey to add 40 SOVs to the business by 2040.
This latest win in the North Sea means North Star will now support two of the world’s largest windfarms, having already delivered THREE of four planned SOVs ahead of schedule to the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which is being operated out of Port of Tyne.
Cochin Shipyard is also currently building a tailored SOV to VARD 4 07 design for the business, which will be delivered to EnBW on a decade-long minimum charter to service the He Dreiht wind farm off the coast of Germany.