Cochin Shipyard Limited has announced with the steel-cutting ceremony for a state-of-the-art hybrid Service Operation Vessel for North Star Shipping (Aberdeen) Limited in UK.
The ceremony was officiated by James Bradford, Chief Technology Officer with North Star Shipping, who initiated the cutting of the first steel in the presence of senior officials of the CSL including Sreejith K Narayanan (director-operations) and Harikrishnan S (executive director-shipbuilding).
Aberdeen-based North Star Shipping Limited is a pioneer in the offshore wind industry committed to developing sustainable energy solutions in response to the global movement towards a more environmentally friendly future.
The 68 m hybrid-electric SOV is designed by VARD AS, Norway. The VARD 4 07 SOV is first of the two SOVs being constructed by The Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for North Star. The DP2 class vessel shall be powered by three diesel main generating sets from Yanmar and high-capacity Li ion batteries in combination.
The vessel is being fitted with Voith electric-cycloidal propulsors and the Walk-to-Work system from SMST. Once commissioned, the vessel is expected to revolutionize service, maintenance, and operating tasks as it has been designed especially to satisfy the demanding requirements of the offshore wind sector.
This cutting-edge walk-to-work vessel shall accommodate total 54 men including specialists and crew, in charge of wind turbine maintenance and operate as a warehouse and logistics centre.
The CSL demonstrates its unwavering commitment to global collaboration through this project, further establishing India as hub of building cutting-edge next-generation ships on the global shipbuilding map.
CSL’s steadfast dedication to excellence, coupled with the international collaboration embodied in this project, reinforces its reputation as a global player in shipbuilding. The business is still at the forefront of influencing how sustainable maritime solutions will develop in the future.
The company, which is among the world’s largest shipbuilders and commands around 10% of the market share as per their website, had a delegation visit Thoothukudi and Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu and met executives at L&T to explore a tie-up, sources added. L&T has a mega shipyard in Kattupalli for shipbuilding as well as retrofitting and conversions.
