Awind aims to take a lead in offshore

Norwegian company Awind AS has signed newbuilding contracts for two wind farm support vessels with Chinese yard China Merchants Industry in Hong Kong.

Awind AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Integrated Wind Solutions AS (IWS), said the order is for high-specification, purpose-built “walk to work” commissioning, service and operations vessels (CSOVs) for wind farms. IWS is an affiliate of offshore support group Awilco which is involved in the offshore oil and gas shipping sectors and now aims to become a leading provider of services to the offshore wind industry. The vessels are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter and second quarter of 2023. In addition, Awind has secured options for up to four additional units.

The vessels are equipped for zero-emission operations by battery plug-in hybrid propulsion and are prepared for continuous zero-emission operations. They have 3D motion-compensated crane, motion-compensated gangway and can accommodate up to 120 persons mostly in single cabins.

Christopher A. Heidenreich, Managing Director of Awind says: “We are very pleased to provide the offshore wind industry with these highly capable “walk-to-work” vessels increasing safety, operability and efficiency as well as reducing the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) for offshore wind.”