Norwegian shipbuilding group VARD has won orders for five offshore vessels of two types.
On May 8, Norwegian offshore shipowner Island Offshore announced that it has placed an order for 1+2 hybrid multi-functional marine energy engineering vessels (OECV: Ocean Energy Construction Vessel) from VARD, and the new vessel is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2027, and the specific price has not been disclosed.
The new vessel, named "Island Evolution", is 120 meters long and 25 meters wide and will be designed with VARD 3 25 to serve the offshore oil and gas and renewable energy sectors. Its design and equipment will continue to transition from oil and gas-related activities to more marine-related new energy market work, based on new and improved designs, modern low-emission technologies and efficient offshore operations.
The hull will be built at one of VARD's shipyards in Romania, while outfitting, commissioning and delivery will take place at a shipyard in Norway.
Designed for stable, flexible and efficient operations, this series of boats has excellent seafaring performance and strong environmental performance. The new vessel is versatile and can be flexibly used in subsea operations, including IMR (inspection, maintenance and repair), piping, subsea infrastructure construction and installation, walking operations, cable laying and repair, and diving support.
The ship is equipped with a 250-ton wind and wave heave compensation underwater crane, which can accommodate 130 people. IN ADDITION, IT WILL BE EQUIPPED WITH A DP2 POSITIONING, AN ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM (BATTERY) WITH A CAPACITY OF 1MWH FOR HYBRID PROPULSION, AN EFFICIENT WATER AND AIR HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM, TWO ROV LARS SYSTEMS, AND A WALKING WORK RAMP. The hull of the new vessel has also been optimised for efficient operation, with alternative low-emission fuel capacity reserved.
As the general contractor for the new vessel, VARD will be responsible for the design, hull construction and assembly and commissioning of the vessel, and its subsidiary, Vard Electro, will deliver SeaQ equipment and green solutions, including SeaQ Power and SeaQ shore power connections with energy storage systems, a fully integrated SeaQ Bridge, and an extensive SeaQ communications network including networking and entertainment systems.
The SeaQ control system will be equipped with a portable monitoring station, which will increase the flexibility and accessibility of operators to monitor and manage offshore operations. This new tool, which is an integral part of the SeaQ IAS and SeaQ ePMS systems, enables digital solutions to be seamlessly shared across the network on board and on land. Vard Interiors will offer modern interior solutions and green HVAC R systems.
Island Offshore is understood to have a fleet of highly advanced offshore services vessels and is a leading provider of premium solutions for the offshore oil and wind energy industries, with its fleet currently controlling 20 offshore vessels. The company is a long-term partner of VARD, which has delivered 41 vessels to Island Offshore over the years.
At the same time, on May 10, VARD signed a contract for the design and construction of two wind farm commissioning service operation vessels (CSOV) with two new vessels in the new design of VARD 4 39, the first of which is expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2026 and the second in the first quarter of 2027.
According to the introduction, the VARD 4 Type 39 design is a new design of VARD, which is a highly versatile all-round platform to support sustainable wind farm operations, which can be used as a service vessel for wind farms and can also be deployed in the construction and installation phase of wind farms.
With a total length of approximately 102.7 meters and a width of 19.5 meters, the vessel is equipped with an open deck of approximately 700 square meters for container storage and future installation of mobile deck equipment, and can accommodate a total of 120 people on board, 90 of whom live in large single cabins, and the operations center such as offices, briefing rooms, meeting rooms and day rooms are designed to meet the high standards in the market.
The hull shape supports fuel-efficient CSOV operation and enables the integration of modular power and fiber optic cabling and maintenance equipment in the future. The new vessel has a great deal of flexibility in design to accommodate future operational needs. The design focuses on the environmental footprint and incorporates efficient machinery and propulsion for high stand-holding capacity, higher working capacity and operational reliability.
The design also includes a complete electrical equipment package with a robust battery pack, crane and W2W gangway system as part of a forward-looking strategy to electrify the ship and provide more reliable operation, with a 1240 kWh energy storage system that will support hybrid propulsion and fuel-saving operations, with future alternative fuel capabilities reserved.
The new vessel will also be fitted with Vard Electro's SeaQ Bridge system, a bridge solution with an intuitive user interface designed to be operator-centric for safer and more efficient operations. The hybrid vessel's power system is fully integrated with SeaQ Power, which minimizes emissions and maximizes the operating window. To control and monitor these systems and the entire ship's systems, the newbuilding will be equipped with Vard Electro's SeaQ Integrated Alarm System (IAS), Power Management System (PMS) and Energy Management System (EMS).
Vard Interiors will provide modern interior solutions as well as green HVAC and plumbing systems with a focus on workmanship quality and efficiency, with the aim of creating a good living and working environment on board.
Seaonics, a specialist subsidiary of VARD, provided an all-electric lifting and loading and unloading system for the project, including a fully equipped electronically controlled motion compensation (ECMC) 30m W2W working gangway with a 3-tonne 3D-compensated crane and a personnel hoist, and an ECMC 7-tonne 3D-compensated crane to improve cargo handling efficiency.
Christian Utvik, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at VARD and Commercial Leader of the contract, said: "One of VARD's strengths is the ability to work closely with our customers to tailor the vessel to their needs and requirements. We look forward to progressing on the project during the construction phase and hope to establish a long-term and fruitful partnership in the years to come." Together, we will continue to find sustainable solutions for the offshore wind industry to achieve a green transition and a sustainable offshore business." ”