Lloyd’s Register (LR) has been awarded the contract to class two methanol-ready Commissioning Service Operations Vessels (CSOVs) being built by VARD, one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialised vessels, for the UK’s leading offshore infrastructure support vessel operator, North Star, according to the company's release.
The new tonnage will increase North Star’s offshore wind capabilities as it progresses its ambition to add 40 hybrid-powered SOVs to its fleet by 2040. The introduction of the two CSOVs will expand North Star’s capabilities to support commissioning and maintenance work essential to ensuring offshore wind farms can operate. Alongside their use as a logistics hub and warehouse, these ships also provide in-field technicians with high-comfort accommodation.
The CSOVs will be built to VARD’s unique 4 22 design and feature a new methanol-ready hybrid-propulsion system coupled with a hull design optimised for low fuel consumption and resistance. The vessel’s hulls will be built at Vard Braila, Romania before being towed to Vard Langsten in Norway for outfitting with an expected delivery date of Spring 2025.
The project builds further on LR’s work in Norway for the delivery of alternative fuelled vessels. In 2022 LR awarded Approval in Principle to Norwegian ship owner Egil Ulvan Rederi for its With Orca zero emissions bulk carrier - which won the Motorship Award in 2022 - and the Torghatten Nord project to provide a hydrogen ferry for Norway’s Vestfjorden route, connecting Bodø, Røst, Værøy and Moskenes.