DEME’s newbuild SOV Groenewind named

Heavy lift specialist DEME has moved closer to deploying its newly delivered service operation vessel (SOV) Groenewind.

The company held a naming ceremony for the world’s first DP2, twin-hulled SOV on Friday, Junel 25.

Shortly after its official naming ceremony, Groenewind is set to enter service as the vessel is already deployed under a long-term charter contract with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE). It will transport technicians to the Rentel and SeaMade offshore wind farms in Belgium.

The vessel was built at the Turkish Cemre Shipyard and delivered earlier in June. It features a motion compensated gangway for the safe transfer of the maintenance technicians to the turbines, even in wave heights of up to 2.5 meters.

Groenewind’ has a capacity for 24 technicians and a nautical crew. Its DP2 technology means that the vessel can hold its position in rough seas but at the same time operate with lower fuel consumption. DEME informed it can achieve fuel consumption reduction of up to 50% compared to a monohull SOV, further reducing the cost of wind farm maintenance.

With environmental considerations of utmost importance, the SOV has a waste heat recovery system and a Clean Design notation.

With the vessel heading for the Belgian wind farms, the country’s Federal Minister of Energy, Tinne Van der Straeten said that Belgium is in the top five countries in the offshore wind sector with companies being pioneers in the technological innovation.

“In the coming years we will further develop the potential of the North Sea with an energy island, among other things. In just a few years, wind energy has become the cheapest form of electricity production, thanks in part to the expertise and passion of our Belgian companies,” Van der Straeten said.

Mathias Verkest, CEO Otary says: “Less than six months after finishing the construction activities of our SeaMade offshore wind farm, I am happy to be part of this naming ceremony of a brand new, state-of-the-art service vessel ‘Groenewind’. The Belgian North Sea – known as our ‘11th province’ – now has a total capacity of 2,262 MW of offshore electricity production, providing 2.2 million Belgian households in our 10 ‘onshore’ provinces with green and clean energy. This makes Belgium one of the largest producers of offshore wind in Europe.”

Otary, which is the operator of both the Rentel offshore wind farm, operational since March 2019, and SeaMade (the largest wind farm in the Belgian North Sea), now has 100 offshore wind turbines in its portfolio, representing an installed capacity of 800 MW. These power plants provide green electricity to 800,000 households.

Groenewind at the tip of technological advancements

Mathias Verkest emphasises: “The industry is maturing in a very short time. Wind farms are built faster, bigger, better and cheaper. They are positioned further away from shore and in deeper waters, and of course this not only requires specific technology for the construction phase, but equally during the operational phase enabling wind farm maintenance to be performed in the most efficient, safe and ecological way.

“The new vessel ‘Groenewind’, the world’s first DP2, twin-hulled Service Operation Vessel ticks all of those boxes. Although a compact design, this vessel embodies a lot of pioneering technologies, which ensure low wave impact when approaching the wind turbines and at the same time reduce fuel consumption substantially, which is a win-win for the environment and long term profitability.”