Fred Olsen Ocean has established a joint venture with Teekay Offshore to develop a new vessel design for the offshore wind market.
The companies plan to co-develop a vessel that will allow technicians to access wind turbines in higher sea states at a lower cost, they said.
It is the first step to bring so-called HiLoad maritime technology to offshore wind, according to the partners. Sea trials will start in early 2017.
The initiative will be led by John Andersen, vice-president for business development at Fred Olsen Windcarrier.
“We are very excited to work with Teekay and we see great potential in developing a vessel that fills the gap between crew transfer vessels and service operations vessels in the offshore wind space,” Andersen said.
Teekay is a provider of marine transportation, oil production, storage, long-distance towing and offshore services to the oil industry.
The head of strategic development at the company’s Stavanger office said: “We are excited about the idea of combining our existing HiLoad maritime technology with Fred Olsen Ocean’s strong operational experience within the renewable energy sector.”
Image: Fred Olsen
Fred Olsen, Teekay form wind JV
Partners to develop a new vessel design for the offshore market
By EBS