ZPMC Starts Building Second SOV for LD Armateurs, Chartered for Nordlicht Offshore Wind Farms

Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC) has laid the keel for the second service operation vessel (SOV) it is building for French offshore wind fleet operator Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LD Armateurs).

The keel-laying ceremony took place on 30 July at ZPMC’s marine engineering facility.

Designed in collaboration with Salt Ship Design (SALT), the 90-metre-long SOV has a moulded breadth of 19.6 metres and a moulded depth of 7.3 metres, according to ZPMC.

The vessel can accommodate up to 96 technicians and crew, and operate for more than 30 days without resupply. The SOV will feature a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system with lithium batteries, DP2 dynamic positioning, a telescopic motion-compensated gangway, and a 3D motion-compensated crane.

The second SOV for LD Armateurs, to be named Wind of Energy, will commence operations before the end of 2027, when it will be deployed on the Nordlicht 1 and 2 offshore wind farms, where it will carry out long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) activities.  

The keel-laying follows progress on the first LD Armateurs SOV, for which the keel was laid in March, and the main hull connection was completed at the beginning of July, according to ZPMC’s update from July.

The first SOV has the same principal dimensions and capacity and is equipped with the same hybrid propulsion, DP2 system, motion-compensated gangway and crane.

To be named Wind of Ocean, the first SOV will enter service in mid-2027 and will serve the DanTysk and Sandbank offshore wind farms, also in Germany.

LD Armateurs ordered the vessels at ZPMC in early 2025, after securing EUR 563 million worth of contracts with Vattenfall.

Under the contracts with Vattenfall, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs will provide one SOV for the jointly operated DanTysk and Sandbank and one for the Nordlicht projects, with a third SOV for Vattenfall’s future offshore wind farms signed as an option.

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