Windcat’s first Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) has been launched by Damen Shipyards at Ha Long Shipyard in Vietnam.
The launch ceremony took place on 12 October in Vietnam, where Damen is constructing all six CSOVs. With this first CSOV in the water, Damen said it will continue with its outfitting and commissioning operations to prepare the vessel for delivery in the second quarter of 2025.
Damen, Windcat, and CMB.TECH first announced their intention to develop and build a series of offshore wind farm support vessels together back in 2022.
After an initial contract for two ships, Windcat increased the order to six vessels, with the last contract being signed in mid-2024.
“We have been working with Damen towards this day for some years now and to see the first CSOV glide into the water was truly a special moment. We are excited for this first vessel to hit the water today and look forward to introducing this game-changing vessel to the world next year”, said Willem van der Wel , Windcat Managing Director.
The Elevation Series CSOVs, designed by Damen in collaboration with Windcat and CMB.TECH, will be deployed by Windcat to provide in-field technical and maintenance support to offshore wind farms for up to 30 days at a time.
The 87-metre-long vessel can accommodate 120 people on board. The CSOV will be equipped with dual-fuel hydrogen technology, which could reduce CO2 emissions.
“We are especially proud of the efficiency gains that this vessel is expected to deliver. The hybrid-electric propulsion system coupled with an efficient power distribution system means that there will be no need to run a backup diesel generator and the vessel will never use more power than necessary”, said Joost van der Weiden , Damen Sales Manager Benelux.
“And we have optimized the thruster configuration, enhancing the dynamic positioning during transfer operations. All in all, we expect innovations like these to add up to substantial reductions in fuel consumption and, therefore, emissions.”