industry New service vessel feet for Dogger Bank ofshore wind farm

ABERDEEN COMPANY NORTH STAR RENEWABLES HAS BEEN AWARDED CONTRACTS WORTH AN ESTIMATED USD 372 MILLION TO DELIVER THREE STATE-OF-THE-ART SERVICE OPERATION VESSELS (SOVS) TO BE USED ON WHAT WILL BE THE WORLD’S LARGEST OFFSHORE WIND FARM, THE 3.6GW DOGGER BANK WIND FARM IN THE NORTH SEA.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORTH STAR RENEWABLES UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. The contract award follows a highly compettve tender process. The Scotsh frm beat of strong internatonal competton to secure the deal to design and deliver the three-vessel service operaton feet for the wind farm, which is currently being built in the North Sea by joint venture partners SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni. The SOVs will be delivered to Equinor from summer 2023 ahead of commissioning of the frst phase of the giant ofshore wind farm and they will be

chartered to Dogger Bank by North Star for a ten-year period, with an opton for three one-year extensions.

The contract award is a renewables-frst for North Star and represents a transformatonal step forward for the Scotsh company in its energy transiton ambitons to become a major player in the global ofshore wind sector. North Star Chief Executve, Mathew Gordon, states, “We are pleased and proud to establish a new relatonship with Equinor and are looking forward to working collaboratvely with them and their partners, SSE Renewables and Eni. We have been working with our existng energy clients in the North Sea for over 40 years, with an outstanding reputaton for delivering and operatng ofshore emergency support vessels safely. We are now commited to

building on the momentum of this contract award to further our diversifcaton and frmly establish ourselves at the forefront of vessel design and delivery in the global renewables market.”

In support of the contract, North Star will establish a new permanent presence at Port of Tyne, delivering a local economic and supply chain boost to the coastal region. This new base for North Star will build upon its existng UK operatonal bases in Aberdeen and Lowestof. North Star will create 130 new full-tme UK-based jobs in crewing and shore-based roles for the lifetme of the contract. Recruitment for the roles will start twelve months ahead of vessel delivery to Dogger Bank’s planned operatons base in Port of Tyne. The new positons will be based across Scotland and the North East of England and will grow North Star’s existng 1,400 strong workforce, 950 of which are in the UK and 350 of which are in Scotland. Welcoming the news of the contract award, Scotsh Government Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop says, “This is excellent news for the Aberdeen based North Star Renewables who are relatvely new to the ofshore wind sector but have a wealth of experience operatng in the North Sea’s oil and gas sector. This contract is a welcome example of our domestc supply chain beneftng from the operaton and maintenance of an ofshore wind project of our coastline, bringing jobs and employment opportunites to communites in Scotland.”

The contract award by Dogger Bank Wind Farm to North Star delivers once again on

Image courtesy of Doggerbank Offshore Wind Farm.

a commitment by partners Equinor, SSE Renewables and Eni to support the development of a UK supply chain, creatng substantal local jobs and maximising UK supply chain opportunites. Halfdan Brustad, Vice President for Dogger Bank at Equinor welcomed the news and voices, “We are pleased that a UK supplier wins these contracts in a tough internatonal competton. The awards will create a good basis for North Star to expand their services to support the UK’s growing ofshore wind sector. Dogger Bank is at the forefront of innovaton, and we want to atract the best talents to come work on this groundbreaking project. “The high-end SOVs will ensure our teams have a comfortable stay ofshore, which is important before a day’s work on the turbines. We have incorporated leading technology to ensure we can operate the wind farm safely, sustainably and efciently.” Steve Wilson, SSE Renewables Project Director for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, adds, “The jobs that these contracts bring to Scotland, the North East and the UK are a welcome boost, and all part of the role Dogger Bank is playing in the UK’s green recovery. It’s an important milestone for the project and when delivered, these state-ofthe-art hybrid vessels will have a critcal future role in ensuring the safe and efcient maintenance of the development when it reaches the operatonal phase.”

Wind farm engineers and technicians will spend two weeks on board each of the hightech vessels while working on the ofshore wind farm. The SOVs will incorporate logistcs platorms to allow wind farm personnel work on the wind farm during the day, ensuring optmum wind turbine availability, and will feature safe, hotelgrade comfort in the living quarters for operatonal personnel at all other tmes. North Star’s designs, which have been twoyears in the making with its key strategic technology partners, are at the leading-edge of operability and sustainability to reduce fuel consumpton and emissions. Innovatons include low fuel consumpton, digital decision support technology, advanced propulsion systems, hybrid power management, a waste heat recovery system, and a new daughter-craf design. One SOV will be delivered to be used for scheduled maintenance at Dogger Bank A and B. The vessel is due to be delivered in January 2024 and will also serve Dogger Bank C when this phase of the wind farm is operatonal. Two more SOVs will be delivered by North Star to be used for correctve maintenance, at Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B. Delivery of these vessels is scheduled for July 2023 and July 2024 respectvely. A further contract for an SOV to be used for correctve maintenance at Dogger Bank C will be awarded at a later stage.