Ulstein Verft has signed a ship building contract with the Germany-based Bernhard Schulte for a service operation vessel (SOVs) of the ULSTEIN SX195 design type developed by Ulstein Design & Solutions, the company said in its press release.
The vessel will support the maintenance work of GE Renewable Energy at the German wind farm Merkur Offshore.The project has been developed in cooperation with WINDEA Offshore, which is the Bernhard Schulte’s affiliate for offshore wind projects.“Ulstein Verft is a very reliable yard and we are eager to start working together with ULSTEIN again.
We have worked closely and successfully together on two former projects, and these vessels are operating very good in the field,” says Matthias Müller, Managing Director at Bernhard Schulte Offshore GmbH.
“We have previously designed and built several vessels within the renewable energy segment. Sustainable growth is essential for us and we look forward to working with Bernhard Schulte again, an important player in the offshore wind segment,” says Ulstein Group CEO Gunvor Ulstein.
“This will be our third service operation vessel to Bernhard Schulte and it shall be delivered early 2020. The first two vessels were delivered in 2016 and 2017. We will do our outmost to fulfil their expectations also this time,” comments Kristian Sætre, Managing Director at Ulstein Verft.
The vessel is of the SX195 design type and is thoroughly developed by Ulstein’s design team in Ulstein Design & Solutions. The design is modified to fulfil the GE Renewable Energy tender requirements and the ship owner’s special choices of mission equipment. It has a large, centrally positioned walk to work motion compensated gangway & elevator tower for personnel and cargo transfers. Furthermore, a 3D compensated crane capable of 2-ton cargo lifts is available. The optimised on-board logistics includes large storage capacities, of which half is under roof in a controlled environment, and stepless approach to the offshore installations. The vessel is equipped with a fuel-efficient drive system including battery-solution from ULSTEIN. With all main equipment and operations in the aft ship, the vessel will naturally operate astern while in-field. Keeping the X-STERN® towards the weather, there will be no slamming, noise or vibrations caused by the waves. The crew will get complete rest between shifts.
The vessel will be 93.4m long and 18m wide and is optimised for offshore wind. The vessel can accommodate up to 120 persons. The facilities on board are modern and of a high quality. The ship is flexible and attractive for work within areas such as O&M (Operation and Maintenance) or construction support especially in challenging weather and sea conditions.
About the companies: Bernhard Schulte is a worldwide leading family-owned ship owner and ship manager with 135 years’ experience that employs 18,000 seafarers and 2,000 onshore personnel, owns about 100 vessels and manages more than 630 vessels. WINDEA Offshore is a joint venture of Bernhard Schulte, BUSS Offshore, EMS Maritime Offshore and SSC Wind. As a representative of a reliable and keen group of specialists, WINDEA provides multiple solutions from one source. ULSTEIN is a family-run company established in 1917, and specialised in ship design, shipbuilding, systems and services for the maritime market. Ulstein has previously delivered several offshore wind vessels. Complete overview Ulstein Group’s offshore wind references.
About GE Renewable Energy:
GE Renewable Energy is a $10 billion business with a start-up mindset bringing together one of the broadest energy products and digital services portfolio of the renewable energy industry. Combining onshore and offshore wind, blades, hydro and innovative technologies such as hybrids systems and concentrated solar power, GE Renewable Energy has installed more than 400+ gigawatts capacity globally to make the world work better and cleaner. With more than 22,000 employees present in more than 80 countries, GE Renewable Energy is working new ways to power the world’s biggest economies and the most remote communities.