Fosnavåg, Norway, based Havyard has signed a contract for design and construction of two Havyard 832 SOVs (Service Operation Vessels) for ESVAGT of Esbjerg, Denmark, which will operate them as wind farm service vessels. They are due to be delivered from Havyard Ship Technology's shipyard in Leirvik, Norway in December 2014 and March 2015 and will be newbuilds 118 and 119 from Havyard Ship Technology.
ESVAGT is a new customer for Havyard and although this is the first time Havyard will design vessels for offshore wind farm services, the basis for this design, however, is taken from technology that Havyard has developed and delivered to the offshore oil industry.
"We are not trying to reinvent the wheel every time," says Design Manager Arve Leine of Havyard Design & Solutions."The most successful development of new products are often based on recycling familiar technology, but quite likely improved and made use of in new ways.
"The Havyard 832 SOV design is a good example of this. This design is based on our PSVs where we have incorporated technology that is used to serve the needs for service and maintenance of offshore wind turbine installations. There is of course a list of new demands put onto a vessel of this design and in cooperation with ESVAGT we have reached a new design that we think will perform these assignments in the safest and most economical way.
"Main capabilities for such a vessel is that it needs to be a stable, secure and comfortable work platform for the crew working on the wind turbine installations and that it has capacities for carrying necessary equipment and cargo. In addition, the vessel must of course be operation-economical, both in transit between harbour and installations and when it is positioned by the installations. We have therefore put huge emphasis on optimizing hull in relation to fuel economy and sea keeping capabilities, in addition to arrangement of cargo capabilities, machinery and accommodation for crew," says Mr. Leine.
"We are very pleased by agreeing this contract with ESVAGT for delivery of their new wind turbine service vessels," says Sales Manager Gisle Vinjevoll Thrane of Havyard Design and Solutions. "We have worked with ESVAGT and these projects over a long period of time and it has been a demanding process. ESVAGT is a very competent and professional customer and is a market leader within its field of expertise. This is both challenging and rewarding.
"Havyard 832 SOV has been designed based on specifications from ESVAGT and together with our solid competence within shipbuilding and design of advanced offshore vessels; we have together made a product that the market demands."
Havyard sees offshore wind as a potential new market with great future opportunities and says the ESVAGT contract is "a good starting point together with market leaders."
"We know that we are competitive as we have agreed a contract with ESVAGT, and in this cooperation we will need to be at our best to meet their expectations. These are the kind of challenges and recognition we are striving towards and we are looking forward to a long and solid cooperation with ESVAGT," says Mr. Thrane.
 
Key data Havyard 832 SOV:
Length:       83.7 m
Breadth:     17.6 m
Speed:        14 knots