DEME Lays Keel for First Offshore Wind Maintenance SOV

DEME Group has held a keel-laying ceremony for its first dedicated service operation vessel (SOV) for offshore wind farm maintenance.

The keel-laying ceremony took place on 13 December at the CEMRE shipyard in Yalova, Turkey, for what is said to be the world’s first DP2 twin-hulled SOV.

Due to be delivered in 2021, the SOV will be chartered by Siemens Gamesa as part of a long-term maintenance contract for the Rentel and SeaMade offshore wind projects in Belgium.

According to DEME, this is the first SOV to serve three different wind farm sites.

The vessel will feature a Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) design, which ensures low wave impact on movements when approaching turbines, compared to a monohull SOV.

Concepted by DEME and further designed in cooperation with Vuyk Engineering Rotterdam and Marin, it is expected to enable crew transfers in significant wave heights of up to 2.5m.

The 60m long vessel will be able to accommodate up to 24 technicians and a nautical crew.

“We believe the twin-hulled design, a motion compensated gangway and dynamic positioning is a winning combination and will further reduce the costs of wind farm maintenance, especially compared to large monohulls reaching similar workability,” said Michael Glavind, Business Unit Director DEME Offshore.

“With this first SOV joining our fleet, we further strengthen our capabilities to offer the full offshore wind package, from installation to maintenance.”