North Star has appointed Bruno Bartel as its new European renewables lead. Stationed in Hamburg, he will be instrumental in advancing the strategic growth objectives of the UK-based hybrid service operation vessel (SOV) operator in the region.
With almost nine years’ experience working for vessel chartering organisations in Germany, Bartel began his career at a Hamburg-based offshore wind brokerage firm. He has also worked for several of Hamburg’s family-owned ship businesses.
In his new role, Bartel will act as the primary contact for North Star’s European clients operating outside of UK waters, helping to leverage the region’s growing offshore wind market opportunity. He will also assist North Star’s HR team with local recruitment.
The company’s chief executive Matthew Gordon said: “We are thrilled to welcome Bruno to North Star as we continue to expand our presence in the European offshore wind market.
“His extensive maritime experience, energy and deep understanding of the chartering sector will be invaluable as we work towards our strategic goal of adding 40 hybrid SOVs to our fleet by 2040.
“We are confident that Bruno will play a key role in driving this growth and delivering exceptional service to our clients.
“We are exhibiting at WindEnergy Hamburg next week, which will be a great opportunity for those attending to meet Bruno as well as our senior team.”
In February, the firm secured a newbuild contract for its first SOV to be deployed off the coast of Germany. The SOV bound for EnBW’s 960MW He Dreiht wind farm will commence its decade-long charter from the end of next year, supporting wind maintenance technicians infield with high-comfort accommodation, warehousing and a logistics hub.
“I am excited to join North Star and build on the strong foundation already in place to make North Star the leading SOV service provider in continental Europe,” said Bartel (pictured).
He added: “Many aspects attracted me, including its rich 137-year legacy, hands-on personable approach, in-house cadet programme and SOV training.
“Overall, North Star’s expert ship and technical management skills and proven track record for reliability and safety sets the business leagues apart from the competition.
“I look forward to meeting with our clients and technology partners in the coming weeks and working with the team to achieve our European ambitions.”
North Star entered the SOV market in December 2021. Since then, the UK business – which has a 1400 strong workforce and operations in Aberdeen, Lowestoft and Newcastle – has eight high-performance offshore wind ships designed to support O&M operations either delivered or currently under construction.