The steel cutting ceremony for Ulstein Verft’s yard number 318, the first of two offshore wind newbuilds for the Norway-based shipowner Olympic, has been carried out at the hull yard, Crist, in Gdynia, Poland
The vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2024, and are based on the SX222 CSOV (Construction Service Operation Vessel) design from Ulstein Design & Solutions. They are among the first vessels to implement the Twin X-Stern, a ship with two sterns and main propeller units at each end to increase flexibility and operability.
Olympic CEO Stig Remøy said: “Renewable energy is the future as we are transitioning away from fossil fuels, although we will still depend on them for decades. 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. Innovation, development, creative zest – these qualities are all thriving in the maritime cluster of Sunnmøre in Norway. We decided to order these vessels from Ulstein Verft for two reasons: quality and on-time delivery. We have built six vessels at Ulstein Verft before, all were delivered on time, all with high quality, and we strongly believe that Ulstein will manage this again. We are very happy to place these orders in the Sunnmøre cluster, and keep in mind, as an appendix to the two firm contracts there are also two newbuild options.”
Kolbjørn Moldskred, Sales Manager Newbuilds, Ulstein Verft added: “It is important to work closely together to achieve results, and this project was made possible because the ship owner, the yard and the suppliers teamed up. Being a part of this interaction is very exciting, with all parties pushing for progress and solutions.”
