New hybrid-electric SOV for EnBW’s He Dreiht offshore wind farm enters construction

Cochin Shipyard has started building a hybrid-electric service operations vessel (SOV) for North Star, which will operate at the He Dreiht offshore wind farm in Germany under a long-term charter North Star signed with EnBW last year.

North Star and Cochin Shipyard cut the first steel for the new SOV on February 25 at Cochin’s yard in India, where the planning, engineering design and construction work are being carried out.

The vessel is on schedule to commence a decade-long minimum charter to service the He Dreiht offshore wind farm from the end of 2026.

The SOV will provide accommodation for up to 34 wind technicians as they maintain the project’s 64 V236-15.0 MW wind turbines provided by Vestas. The vessel will also act as a logistics hub and warehouse.

The He Dreiht project is expected to soon enter the wind turbine installation phase as all monopile foundations were installed at the project site located around 90 kilometres northwest of the island of Borkum in the summer of 2024.

The agreement North Star signed with EnBW in 2024 marked the company’s first offshore wind contract win outside the UK market.

The new hybrid-electric SOV is of VARD 407 design and has been tailored to meet EnBW’s specific requirements, according to North Star.

The SOV will be equipped with Electric Voith Schneider propulsion (eVSP) and is designed to use methanol as a fuel in future.

The vessel will be fitted with a height-adjustable motion-compensated gangway and a 3D compensated crane.

North Star says that the SOV will also utilise “the best available technology to support decarbonisation”, including the company’s Decision Support system to optimise real-time systems and solutions onboard.

In October 2024, North Star secured a second contract with EnBW, for its first commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) Grampian Kestrel, which will also be deployed at the 960 MW He Dreiht offshore wind farm in Germany.

The CSOV will provide accommodation and logistics to support the construction and commissioning works in 2025. After this work is completed, the CSOV will be deployed for EnBW’s operations and maintenance (O&M) activities until the new SOV is delivered.