Norwegian shipbuilder and ship designer Ulstein has unveiled a new series of walk-to-work vessel that the company claims can reduce vessel CAPEX by at least 50 per cent compared to a traditional service operation vessel (SOV) while retaining many of the latter's key functionalities and operability.
Ulstein said the new W2W vessel bridges the gap between crewboats and SOVs, thus introducing new service logistics. One or more W2W vessels can support a full-sized SOV, with the latter handling larger tasks while two to three W2W vessels manage the smaller ones. This setup meets service requirements and maintains the necessary up-time in addition to allowing for more detailed operational planning and distribution of workload.
The company added that the design is best suited for small- and medium-sized offshore wind farms, wind farms located in areas with benign and moderate sea states, or in shallow waters.
The vessel may also serve as a supplement to cater for the additional maintenance activities typically carried out during summer campaigns.