North Star clinches fourth Dogger Bank vessel contract

North Star Group will provide the service operations vessel (SOV) for the third phase of the Dogger Bank wind farm 130 km (81 miles) from the Yorkshire coast in the UK North Sea.

The long-term charter is valued at around £90 million (US$118.8 million), with the vessel supporting Dogger C’s offshore wind technicians.

This will be the fourth SOV and associated daughter craft that the Dogger Bank partners Equinor, SSE Renewables, and Eni have contracted North Star to construct and operate, following earlier orders for Dogger Bank A and Dogger Bank B.

Each of the four SOVs have a ten-year agreement, with three additional one-year options.

VARD will build the latest vessel to its VARD 4 12 design at its Vard Vung Tau shipyard in Vietnam, with delivery scheduled for 4Q 2024.

It will include a hybrid battery solution which will allow for carbon-neutral operations. Other features are a height-adjustable, motion-compensated gangway with elevator system; a height-adjustable boat transfer system; and a 3D-compensated crane for cargo transfer.

The new SOV will be 78 metres (256 feet) long with a beam of 19 metres (62 feet), and accommodation for 60 people.

Source: Offshore Magazine