Offshore Vessel News Roundup | June 14 – UK and Estonian crewboats plus new anchor handler and supply vessel series

A UK operator formally names its newest maintenance vessel as a Norwegian design firm launches two new series of anchor handlers and platform suppliers. An Estonian yard has entered into an agreement to build crewboats for the European market. Finally, a Northern Ireland-based technology company has received funding to demonstrate a new type of crewboat fitted with electric propulsion and an advanced foiling mechanism.

UK’s North Star christens hybrid SOV

UK offshore services provider North Star has christened the newest addition to its fleet of offshore maintenance vessels.

Grampian Tyne is the first in a series of four hybrid electric service operation vessels (SOVs) designed and built for North Star by Norwegian shipyard Vard. It will be deployed at the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm in UK waters.

North Star said the SOV’s design includes technician accommodation areas and facilities for parts storage and cargo handling. Space is also available for a daughtercraft.

Norwegian design firm new offshore vessel series

Norwegian marine technology company Kongsberg Maritime has unveiled images of its newest designs of anchor handling tugs and platform supply vessels (PSVs).

The vessels may be configured to run on alternative energy sources such as methanol, ammonia, and batteries in a hybrid arrangement.

The designs have received approval in principle from class society DNV to operate with ammonia-fuelled engines. They may also incorporate offshore charging-capable, plug-in hybrid propulsion systems to enable emission-free battery-powered operation.

Estonian yard to build Dutch-designed crewboats for European market

Estonian builder Baltic Workboats (BWB) and Netherlands-based the Damen Shipyards Group have entered into a partnership agreement on the manufacture of Damen-designed fast crewboats at BWB’s facilities on Saaremaa Island in Estonia.

The 27-metre crewboats will be made available for customers in the Baltic region and in other European markets.

The production of the first batch of crewboats is already underway. The aluminium for the first hulls was cut in early May and the first vessel is scheduled to be delivered in the summer of 2024.

BWB will build at least 10 crewboats from the same series.

Electric foiling crewboat to be deployed at Ørsted’s Barrow offshore wind farm in UK waters

Northern Ireland-based engineering company Artemis Technologies has been awarded £2.3 million (US$2.89 million) to deploy one of its foil-equipped demonstrator crewboats at Ørsted’s Barrow offshore wind farm in the Irish Sea off the UK.

Artemis Technologies will develop the 12-metre-long, fully electric crewboat in partnership with vessel operator Tidal Transit and Lloyd’s Register. The financial support is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 3 (CMDC3), funded by the UK Department for Transport.

The deployment will help prove the viability of using electric foiling crewboats in support of the offshore wind market.