DEME launches its first offshore wind SOV

DEME has launched its first ever Service Operation Vessel (SOV) at the CEMRE shipyard in Yalova, Turkey.

The vessel, named Groene Wind, is of the Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) class and will be directly chartered to Siemens Gamesa for maintenance activities at the Rentel and SeaMade offshore wind farms in Belgium, once delivered in 2021.

The keel-laying ceremony for the vessel took place on 13 December 2019.

According to DEME, this is the first DP2, twin-hulled SOV in the world and the first to serve three different wind farm sites, as the SeaMade offshore wind project comprises Seastar and Mermaid offshore wind farms.

The 60-metre long Groene Wind will be able to accommodate up to 24 technicians and a nautical crew, and is expected to enable crew transfers in significant wave heights of up to 2.5 metres.

The SOV will be equipped with a motion compensated gangway and daughter craft to safely transfer technicians to the wind turbines.

“DEME’s in-house newbuild team worked in close collaboration with Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam and research institute MARIN. The new vessel significantly improves safety, comfort and workability for wind farm technicians – even in the roughest sea conditions”, the company said.

The Rentel offshore wind farm, located some 40 kilometers off the coast of Oostende, comprises 42 Siemens Gamesa 7.35 MW wind turbines which generate around 1 TWh of electricity annually on average.

Rentel has been fully operational since January 2019.

The 487 MW SeaMade, currently under construction, comprises the 252 MW Seastar and the 235 MW Mermaid offshore wind projects, which feature 58 Siemens Gamesa 8.4 MW turbines.

SeaMade will become Belgium’s largest offshore wind farm once commissioned this year.