North Star Group Entrusts VARD To Build The 4th SOV
3 min read
VARD, which boasts more than 8,000 employees worldwide, has won the contract from its partner North Star Group to build another Service Operation Vessels (SOV). The vessel is the fourth vessel VARD has constructed for the North Star Group so far.
The optimized SOV to operate on the Dogger Bank Wind Farm in the North Sea
North Star Group will operate the new SOV to support the third phase of the Dogger Bank Wind Farm. SSE Renewables, Equinor, and Eni have a strong ambition to build Dogger Bank to be the world’s largest offshore wind farm. North Star Group contributes its new hybrid-powered renewable fleet at this wind farm.
The new SOV design features low fuel consumption, digital decision support technology, advanced propulsion systems, hybrid power management, and a waste heat recovery system. The vessel provides living areas for technicians working offshore with building comfort accommodations onboard.
VARD’s CEO Alberto Maestrini says: “We would like to congratulate North Star for the fourth contract of the complete vessel package for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, and at the same time thank North Star for choosing VARD as partner to design and build their hybrid-powered renewables fleet. We are honored of having all four SOVs in our portfolio, and it confirms that our investments in the renewable energy field are right both for our customers and for VARD. Together we continue our contribution to a sustainable future, actively working to get to zero-emission.”
North Star CEO Matthew Gordon says: “Securing the final SOV contract required for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm development for at least the next decade is fantastic news.“
The VARD 4 12 design wins trust from North Star Group
The VARD 4 12 design is developed by Vard Design in Ålesund. The newbuild SOV will be constructed in VARD’s shipyard Vard Vung Tau and scheduled for delivery in Q4 2024. The vessel is highly reliable to perform in the harsh North Sea environment more than 130 kilometers off the north-east coast of England
Moreover, the comprehensive SOV design is built with the concept of protecting the environment, flexible operation with gearing hybrid battery solution. The new SOV is 78 meters in length with a beam of 19 meters and. SeaQ® flexible solutions are innovatively applied onboard by Vard Electro as well.
It is a fully integrated SeaQ Energy Storage System Solution in combination with SeaQ Integrated Automation System (IAS), SeaQ Power Management system (PMS), SeaQ Energy Management System (EMS), and SeaQ Green Pilot (energy monitoring system). With the cutting-edge technology features onboard, the newbuild has full ability to reduce fuel consumption, emissions and meet the standards of “workability, comfort, safety, and sustainability”
Runar Vågnes, SVP Sales & Marketing in VARD, says: “The close and resourceful cooperation with the North Star team, involving the end users, shipowner, designer, suppliers, and the shipyard alike, has led to innovative SOV designs for the Dogger Bank Wind Farm we can all be proud of. This, and the trust and confidence developed during the project, has led to a welcome new building contract of a fourth vessel for the field.”
In November, VARD’s shipyard Vard Vung Tau has scored the first SOV from the Ørsted’s investment in Taiwan hit the water
Source Xindemarinenews
