VARD wins 1+1 energy engineering ship design and construction contract

Recently, Norwegian VARD shipyard announced the signing of a 1+1 Energy Engineering Vessel (ECV) design and construction contract with Wind Energy Construction, with the new vessel expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2027.

Wind Energy Construction is headquartered in Norway and was jointly established by the company's founder and Norwind Offshore shareholders. The latest order is Norwind Offshore's sixth new ship construction contract with VARD since October 2021, with the previous five ships all being commissioning service operating vessels (CSOVs).

The new vessel adopts a brand new ship type jointly developed by VARD and Norwind Offshore. The first production ship will be built, outfitting, commissioning, and delivered by VARD Vietnam's Vung Tau Shipyard.

The ship has a length of 111.5 meters and a width of 22.4 meters. It can accommodate 120 people on board and adopts the VARD 3 11 design. This is a design tailored for the offshore wind power and subsea markets, including pipeline inspection, maintenance, and repair, as well as the construction and installation of offshore and underwater infrastructure.

This will be the first engineering vessel constructed by VARD to permanently install motion compensation gangways. The electrically controlled motion compensated (ECMC) gangway for walking to work will integrate 3D compensating crane functionality, and the vessel will also be equipped with a 150 ton motion compensated offshore crane to expand its capacity, especially for the constantly developing renewable energy market.

Vard Electro, a high-tech subsidiary of VARD Group, provides comprehensive SeaQ equipment and tailored sustainable solutions for ships. This includes SeaQ Power equipped with a 1MWh energy storage system, SeaQ shore power connections for green port stays, SeaQ Bridge fully integrated with all systems, and a wide range of SeaQ communication packages including network and entertainment systems.

The SeaQ control system will be equipped with innovative new portable monitoring stations to enhance the flexibility and convenience of operators in monitoring and managing offshore operations. This new tool is an integral part of the SeaQ IAS and SeaQ ePMS systems, allowing for seamless sharing of digital solutions within the ship and shore defense networks.

Vard Interiors will provide modern indoor solutions and green HVAC R systems, aimed at creating a good living and working environment on board ships.

Svein Leon Aure, CEO of Norwind Offshore, said, "We are pleased to collaborate with VARD to develop a new category of ships that will further promote the development of renewable energy. This concept is built on the foundation of the ships we previously built with VARD, and we believe it will play an important role in the development of offshore wind power and other fields in the coming years

Torgeir Haugan, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Vard, stated, "This contract demonstrates that Vard maintains its technological and industrial leadership in the offshore market. We work together with our clients to constantly push the limits and continue developing our ships to meet their best requirements for becoming part of the green transformation

It is reported that Norwind Offshore was jointly established by Norwegian companies Farstad, Volstad, and Kleven, with the goal of providing specially designed advanced operational vessels for the development and service of the offshore wind power sector. In May 2022, Norwind Offshore welcomed a new shareholder - Navigatore Capital Partners, a Danish investment fund specializing in maritime asset investments.