Partnership to Design Next-Generation SOV for Floating Offshore Wind Ops
A new industry collaboration is being launched by North Star, Vard, and others to solve the challenge of delivering high-performance operations and maintenance ships tailored for floating offshore wind farms. They look to leverage the collective expertise to develop a new generation of vessels better suited to the future of offshore wind operations.
According to the partners, as offshore wind moves into deeper waters with floating wind turbines located far from shore, the sector faces significant logistical and operational challenges that must be addressed efficiently and cost-effectively. While the industry has demonstrated the ability to safely complete transfers from traditional SOVs to floating wind platforms, they believe there is room for improvement in transfers where both the vessel and platform are dynamic and in motion.
North Star has signed a memorandum of understanding with MO4, Principle Power, SMST, VARD, and Voith Group, to establish a dedicated working group of industry experts to help fast-track the design and testing of a new SOV concept. Together, the six organizations have committed to developing a detailed, high-performance ship design to meet the needs of commercial-scale projects, such as the 17GW of floating projects awarded in the ScotWind leasing round.
“Floating offshore wind presents both challenges and opportunities, and through this collaboration, we can innovate, and design a solution specifically tailored for GW-scale projects,” said Andrew Duncan, North Star’s renewables & innovations director. “Our goal is to create an innovative, best-in-class ship design that supports the rapid expansion of floating wind technology. By pushing the boundaries of what's possible, we can ensure that our future SOVs deliver the highest levels of safety, efficiency, and operational flexibility, ultimately paving the way for a more sustainable energy future.”
They believe there exists an opportunity to optimize the transfer operations by developing SOVs that will operate under a long-term contract that specifically addresses the local challenges and the requirements of floating wind project operators. The collaboration seeks to capitalize on this opportunity by delivering an SOV design that sets a new industry benchmark for safety, performance, and efficiency.
North Star which provides support services for the UK’s offshore wind and oil and gas markets will be joined by VARD, a major global designer and specialized vessel shipbuilder which is a leader in SOVs, and Principle Power, which has been developing offshore wind platforms for 15 years. They will add emerging technology by involving Digital twin and AI decision support software firm MO4 as well as Voith Group, which will contribute propulsion options, and offshore equipment design and build specialist SMST.
“The detailed ship design will be put to the test through rigorous workability assessments, ensuring that it meets the highest standards of performance, safety, and efficiency before being implemented in future floating wind projects,” said Duncan.