Bernhard Schulte orders new SOV for GE Renewable Energy

WINDEA’s shareholder Bernhard Schulte Offshore has signed a contract with GE Renewable Energy to provide a new-build Service Operation Vessel (SOV) to support the maintenance of the 66 Haliade 150-6MW turbines located 28 miles from Germany’s Borkum Island. The total capacity of 396MW will produce enough power for almost half a million homes.

Bernhard Schulte’s showcased as a strong partner with a track-record in the operation of SOVs in several wind farms and included a proven vessel design build by a yard which is known for high quality and on-time delivery.

The SX195 design type was modified to fulfil the GE Renewable Energy 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. There is also a 3D compensated crane capable of 2-ton cargo lifts. The optimised on-board logistics include large storage capacities of which half are under a roof in a controlled environment, and a stepless approach to the offshore installations. The vessel is equipped with a fuel-efficient drive system including battery-solution. As with the two vessels ordered before, it will have the X-STERN^® hull shape. A vessel featuring the X-STERN^® can be positioned with the stern faced towards the weather, leading to improved weather resistance, greater operability and reduced power and fuel consumption while on DP compared to conventional sterns.

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

“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.

“We are happy to show once more that WINDEA can be the single point of contact if you are sourcing multiple offshore wind services”, says Caspar Spreter von Kreudenstein, Managing Director at WINDEA Offshore.