SOV ECO Liberty

Equinor launched the Service Operations Vessel ECO Liberty earlier this summer for deployment in its New York offshore wind project, marking the culmination of a major investment in the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Louisiana First Lady Sharon Landry served as the vessel’s “Godmother” during a christening ceremony on the Mississippi River at the Port of New Orleans. 

ECO Liberty was built by Edison Chouest Offshore; built with American steel and including components from companies in several Gulf Coast states. "The ECO Liberty showcases the positive impact Empire Wind is having on the American economy,” said Molly Morris, President of Equinor Renewables Americas. “Equinor is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Louisiana’s world-class shipbuilding industry as we support the Trump Administration’s efforts to expand U.S. vessel manufacturing. This vessel reflects how offshore wind can create durable, high-quality jobs while building out a homegrown energy supply chain.”

The 262-ft. hybrid-powered ECO Liberty be homeported at New York’s South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, where more than 2,000 workers have been put to work constructing a next-generation staging facility, O&M base, and control center for Empire Wind. ECO Liberty will be deployed to support ongoing marine construction in the lease area and eventually serve as the floating home for Empire Wind’s workers when stationed offshore. Including ECO Liberty, seven new U.S.-flagged vessels will be added to the U.S. Jones Act compliant fleet, because of Empire Wind.

Zamil Offshore 60m Fast Support Intervention Vessel

Zamil 80 is the first of three new 60-m Fast Support Intervention Vessels (FSIVs) designed by Incat Crowther for Zamil Offshore. At trial it achieved a service speed of 28 knots with a 200-ton payload, above the contracted required service speed of 25 knots, Incat Crowther said. The three new ABS-Classed, low-draft monohull FSIVs are being built by Lita Ocean (Singapore) and will assist Zamil Offshore with the safe transport of cargo, heavy maintenance equipment and personnel for Saudi Aramco’s operations in the Arabian Sea. Construction on the remaining two contracted vessels is expected to be completed in 2025. The new vessels are powered by four MTU 16V4000 diesel engines coupled to ZF gearboxes driving Hamilton HT810 waterjets.

Maneuverability of the DP2-certified vessels is enhanced by three Hydromaster tunnel bow thrusters, allowing safe docking and superior station-keeping for transfer of cargo and personnel. Two of the main engines are coupled to FFS firefighting pumps with paired 1200 cu. m./hr. water monitors and shipboard water spray protection offering FiFi-1 capability.

Three Scania 300kW diesel generators provide ship service power. The vessels’ main deck offers an expansive 250 sq. m. aft cargo deck rated at 2.5 t/m2 and a climate-controlled forward cabin featuring business-class seating for 60 service personnel, as well as three bathrooms, an office, snack bar and a well-equipped medical bay.

Incat Crowther 60 Main Particulars

• Length, oa. 196’-2”

• Length, wl. 184’

• Beam oa. 29’-6”

• Draft 7'

• Depth 14’-7

• Construction Marine grade aluminium

• Tonnage 498 GT ITC

• Fresh Water 8,453 gallons

• Grey Water 475 gallons

• Black Water 475 gallons

• Lube Oil 528 gallons

• Waste Oil 528 gallons

• Bilge Oil 528 gallons

• Industrial personnel 60

• Crew 18

• Speed (Service) 28 knots

• Speed (Max) 36 knots

• Main Engines 4 x MTU 16V4000M63L

• Power 4 x 2240kW @ 1800rpm

• Propulsion 4 x Hamilton HT810 waterjets

• Bow Thrusters 3 x Hydromaster 150 kw thrusters

• Generators 3 x Scania DI09 (300 kW each)

• Flag Panama

• Class / Survey ✠A1, Circle E, HSC Crewboat, ✠AMS, ✠DPS-2, FF Capable, SMART (INF, SHM, MHM), IDM-A, ENVIRO

Windea Curie

Bernhard Schulte Offshore recently received its latest Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV) from Ulstein Verft in Norway. Dubbed Windea Curie, the vessel is now being deployed for the charterer TenneT.

“Our new ‘Windea Curie’ is an excellent addition to our offshore fleet of now four ultra-modern vessels”, says Matthias Müller, Managing Director at Bernhard Schulte Offshore (BSO). “The new ship and her subsequent sister vessel will not only add more capacity to our offshore fleet but also strengthen our competitiveness and reputation due to design features leading to improved fuel economy and flexible employment.”

The new offshore vessel has a large, height-adjustable, centrally positioned walk-to-work motion compensated gangway and elevator tower for personnel and cargo transfers. Furthermore, a 3D compensated crane capable of 5-ton offshore cargo lifts is installed, enhancing operational efficiency and versatility. The optimized on-board logistics include large storage capacities and stepless approach to the offshore installations.

Windea Curie measures 89.6 x 19.2 m, and offers up to 90 cabins with windows for charterers’ offshore personnel. In total, there are 111 cabins providing comfortable living conditions for up to 132 individuals. The ship is equipped with hybrid battery propulsion and prepared for methanol fuel to enable low-carbon operations. It is flexible and attractive for employment within areas such as O&M (Operation and Maintenance) or construction support, especially in challenging weather and sea conditions.

Megamas Contracts for Cable-laying Vessel Design

Megamas Resources announced a ship design contract with Norway-based Ulstein Design & Solutions AS to start the engineering phase on a fiber-optic cable-laying vessel (CLV) planned to be built at the Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven GmbH.

The ULSTEIN SX228 has a deadweight of 8,200 tons and a cable capacity of 5,500 tons. Measuring 121.7 x 23-m, the vessel has been optimized for fiber-optic cable laying and is also prepared for future power cable operations. This includes an underdeck carousel integrated into the cable tanks.

Equipped with two firing lines and all necessary cable handling equipment within an enclosed working area, the vessel includes an ROV hangar for the cable trencher, a 50-ton A-frame, and a bollard pull capacity of up to 120 tons for subsea ploughing.