First Ship of New Series for Dutch Shipowner Windcat Arrives in Europe
The Dutch shipbuilder Damen and shipping company Windcat have announced the arrival of the CSOV (Construction Support Vessel) Windcat Amsterdam in Europe. Built at the Vietnamese shipyard in Ha Long, this is the first ship of the Elevation series (six units) to reach the old continent. It is currently located in the port of the capital of the Netherlands.
The first CSOV, the Windcat Rotterdam, is currently operating on the west coast of Taiwan. The third unit, under construction in Vietnam, will be named Windcat Haarlem.
These 87 meters long by 20 meters wide vessels serve as floating bases to accommodate technicians during the construction, commissioning, and maintenance of wind farms. They can house up to 120 people, with a 30-day autonomy. A 10-ton motion compensation crane allows for the direct deployment of personnel and equipment onto the wind turbines.
The Windcat Amsterdam is equipped with three 1800 kW diesel engines, as well as an 800 kW generator. It has four 1800 kW azimuth thrusters. The “Elevation Series” vessels have been designed to use dual-fuel propulsion with hydrogen injection technology developed by CMB.Tech. Windcat has already been involved in the development of this type of dual-fuel diesel-hydrogen technology on Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs). For these smaller vessels, CMB.Tech has designed a system with MAN dual-fuel engines that allows the ship to reduce its fuel consumption and associated emissions by up to 80%.
Article by the editorial team of Mer et Marine. Reproduction prohibited without consent of the author(s).
