Windward Offshore Receives Fourth CSOV, Completing Four-Vessel Delivery
en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 4, Windward Offshore took delivery of the "Windward Hamburg," an offshore wind commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) built by VARD, marking the completion of all four CSOVs in its initial order. The series includes Windward Athens, Windward Paris, Windward Munich, and Windward Hamburg, with the first two built at VARD's Norwegian shipyard and the latter two at Vard Vung Tau shipyard in Vietnam. All four vessels are based on the VARD 4 19 design.
The Windward Hamburg has an overall length of 87.5 meters and a beam of 19.5 meters, accommodating up to 120 people, and, like the Windward Munich, is equipped with a helideck. The vessel features an adjustable motion-compensated gangway with an integrated elevator, an electric motion-compensated crane, and an adjustable fendering system, enabling the transfer of personnel and equipment during the construction, commissioning, and subsequent operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms.
The series adopts a hybrid power configuration combining diesel-electric and battery systems, with provisions reserved for future operation on green methanol. Windward Offshore's disclosed vessel configuration includes four MAN main engines, two aft azimuth thrusters, one bow tunnel thruster, and two retractable azimuth bow thrusters; the energy storage system consists of battery spaces, battery converters, battery systems, and an energy management system. Personnel transfer equipment utilizes an Ampelmann W-type motion-compensated gangway, and the lifting equipment is an electric 3D motion-compensated crane.
Windward Offshore initially signed a contract with VARD in October 2023 for the design and construction of two hybrid CSOVs, with options for two additional vessels; in January 2024, the company exercised the options, expanding the series order to four vessels. VARD at that time scheduled the first two vessels for delivery in the third quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, respectively, with the latter two planned for delivery in the second and third quarters of 2026. All four vessels were designed by Vard Design in Ålesund, Norway.
The first vessel, Windward Athens, entered the fleet in 2025, Windward Paris was delivered in February 2026, and the third vessel, Windward Munich, was completed in July. Both Windward Athens and Windward Paris have already undertaken client projects, collectively completing over 14,000 offshore personnel transfers via motion-compensated gangways. Following delivery, Windward Munich proceeded to Hamburg for its naming ceremony before commencing its first charter assignment.
VARD stated that all four vessels were delivered on or ahead of the contractual schedule. With the delivery of Windward Hamburg, the four-CSOV newbuild program initiated by Windward Offshore in 2023 has now fully entered the fleet.
