Grimsby is to welcome two new state-of-the-art ‘green fuel’ vessels to serve the offshore wind sector.
RWE has signed an agreement for the striking SOVs to support its Triton Knoll and Sofia farms from the port. They will be deployed on operations and maintenance activity, and will have the capability of being powered by methanol and batteries - with 10,000 tonnes of CO2 to be saved annually.
Dutch operator Acta Marine will start building the vessels at Tersan Shipyards in Turkey imminently, and they will be anticipated under the Dock Tower in 2025 and 2026. There the SX216 class sister vessels will join Orsted’s SOV fleet in the Royal Dock, where RWE’s base is being expanded to welcome further wind farm developments.
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Director of offshore wind operations at RWE Renewables, Thomas Michel, said: “This investment in low-emissions capable service operations vessels demonstrates our commitment to not only playing a major role in decarbonising the UK’s energy mix, but also to supporting the green transition of our broader activities across the marine industry.
“We are proud to take this step forward for our North Sea operations and anticipate this being the first of similar investments in support of our other offshore projects.”
He said the innovative design will expand the vessels’ operational service capabilities, setting a new industry standard, adding that the deployment will continue RWE’s long-term commitment to Grimsby “at the heart of its North Sea offshore projects”.
The 857MW Triton Knoll offshore wind farm is already operational off the Lincolnshire coast, with the 1.4GW Sofia now under construction off the North Yorkshire coast.
RWE is also behind the development of Dogger Bank South dual farms, both of which sit closer to the port than Sofia, announced in the latest round. Humber Gateway, now eight years into generation off Spurn, is also part of the RWE portfolio. The company said the agreement will bring further investment into the port through the use of vessel support and maintenance services, local fuelling, pilotage and other ancillary services.
Acta’s managing director, Rob Boer, said: “We are very pleased to partner with RWE in deploying two of our new SOVs over a 12 year basis. The ability to use e-methanol from day one of our operations with RWE drives the reduction of greenhouse gases significantly. The vessels have been designed for high performance in-field agility whilst reducing power consumption as much as possible. Whilst contributing to the decarbonisation of marine offshore operations, we will be proud to deliver best in class hospitality services on board our SOVs combined with leading operational performance and safe transfer of technicians to the wind farms.”
Technicians sleep on the vessels, with others in the world-leading cluster returning to port fortnightly for shift changes. When in the field they walk to work on a motion-compensated gangway that forms a bridge from vessel to turbine. The SX216 class is 89.6m long by 19.2m wide, and will feature 88 cabins, with the capability to support 135 passengers and crew. It is slightly larger than the three similar Orsted vessels, Wind of Hope (83m by 19.4m), Edda Passat (82m by 17m), and Edda Mistral (81m by 17m), serving Hornsea Two, Hornsea One and Race Bank from Grimsby.
The SX216 vessels were designed by Ulstein Design and Solutions, and deployment is seen as marking a tangible step forward for the shared vision of Operation Zero, an industry coalition working with the government towards the deployment of zero-emission vessels and infrastructure in support of the North Sea offshore wind sector from 2025. Launched by the Department for Transport and the ORE Catapult at COP26, RWE is a signatory. It is also part of the Carbon Trust programme, aiming to make future offshore wind more sustainable.
Read next:
Humber Renewables Awards 2023 shortlist published
Orsted committed to 'green-lighting' £8b Hornsea Three offshore wind farm
Maritime UK's Offshore Wind Plan launches in Grimsby
Port of Grimsby to progress green vessel infrastructure work after feasibility project success
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