Today’s opening event for the Dudgeon Offshore Wind Farm Operations Centre will also incorporate the naming of the wind farm’s purpose built 84-metre service operations vessel (SOV), Esvagt Njord.
The vessel marks a new approach to operations and maintenance with accommodation for up to 40 wind turbine technicians who will live on the ship and walk to work on the turbines via a special gangway system, Statoil said.
The Head of Statoil Wind Operations UK, Rune Rønvik, said: “We are the first offshore windfarm in the UK using a service operations vessel in regular operations and maintenance. We believe this is a solution for the future as the wind farms get bigger and are located further from shore.”
Nauta and Havyard Ship Technology of Norway, the designer of the vessel, signed a shipbuilding contract for the vessel back in January 2015. Prior to that, in December 2014, Havyard received the order for the vessel from the Danish OSV operator Esvagt, after Dudgeon Offshore Wind Limited awarded the company with a 5-year contract for the SOV. The contract includes options for extension, up to a total of 5 additional years.
Esvagt took delivery of Esvagt Njord in August 2016.
The new vessel arrived at the river port of Great Yarmouth on its maiden visit to the port on 6 September.