Gondan Shipyard has laid the keel for the Service Operation Vessel (SOV) that will serve as a mother ship for wind turbine technicians at DONG Energy’s Race Bank offshore wind farm in the North Sea.
The keel laying ceremony marked the start of the assembly of the hull in the slipway at Gondan’s facilities in Figueras, where the vessel will remain until the launch next year.
The DP2 SOV was ordered by DONG Energy in October last year.
This 81.10m long vessel is the first of two SOVs that Gondan will deliver to the Norwegian shipowner Østensjø Rederi, with the other one scheduled to be deployed at DONG Energy’s Hornsea Project One wind farm.
Both ships are being built according to the same UT 540 WP design by Rolls Royce Marine.
The SOV, which has 60 single cabins for up to 40 wind turbine technicians in addition to a marine crew of 20, will be equipped with an UPTIME 23m long heave compensated “walk-to-work” gangway, a 3D motion compensated crane and a CTV landing system with bunkering facility. In addition to the gangway, the on-board-fitted 11m daughter craft will allow for the transfer of maintenance technicians to the wind farm installations.