Steel cutting at Ulstein marks start of Olympic CSOV construction
Illustration of the CSOV (Source: Ulstein)
A steel-cutting ceremony at Norway’s Ulstein Verft last week heralds the start of building two construction service operation vessels (CSOV) for Fosnavåg-based offshore owner, Olympic. The contract, which includes options for two more ships, is another sign of Norwegian offshore owners’ shift from oil and gas into the renewables sector.
The two firm vessels are based on Ulstein Design & Solutions’ SX222 specification. They are amongst the first vessels to incorporate the company’s ‘Twin X-Stern’, a design incorporating two sterns with a main propulsion unit at each end to maximise operability, flexibility and uptime.
“Renewable energy is the future as we are transitioning away from fossil fuels, although we will depend on them for decades,” declared Stig Remøy, Olympic CEO. “The development of vessels has been formidable, looking back at our first vessels, which at the time were at the forefront of fuel efficiency, and now these CSOV vessels, the reduction in fuel consumption is impressive. “The offshore wind market is rapidly developing, and the newbuilds will set a standard for a new generation of offshore wind vessels – increasing the operational window while reducing the emissions,” he added.
Commenting on the choice of Ulstein as builder, Remøy said that Olympic had built six ships at the Ulsteinvik shipyard in the past. “All were delivered on time, all with high quality, and we strongly believe that Ulstein will manage this again.”
The two CSOVs are both scheduled for delivery in 2024.
