HAV Design will develop a newbuild service operation vessel (SOV) for use on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project.
The newbuild hybrid vessel will be HAV 832 SOV design constructed by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. HAV Design’s contract is with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.
The ABS-class vessel will be 88m long and 17.6m wide. It can carry 20 crew and 60 special personnel and sail under US flag. The ship will go into service in 2026.
Following completion, the newbuild SOV will go on charter for Dominion Energy for its massive 2.6GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project which will include 176 turbines provided by Siemens Gamesea.
HAV Design received the contract from CREST, a US joint venture between Crowley and ESVAGT. The company did not disclose the value of its contract.
“We have designed and developed numerous SOVs for use in demanding offshore climates, but this is the first time we are designing a vessel for the US market,” said Gisle Vinjevoll Thrane, vice-president of sales at Norway-based HAV Design.
“We are confident in the operational benefits our vessel design brings to the table, so we believe that this contract can open the door for further work in the USA.”