Wedoany.com Report-Oct 11，North Star, a leading service operations vessel (SOV) operator in the UK’s renewables industry, has activated a major industry collaboration aimed at solving one of the floating wind’s most pressing challenges: the delivery of high-performance operations and maintenance ships tailored for floating offshore wind farms.

The firm has signed memorandum of understanding with MO4, Principle Power, SMST, VARD, and Voith Group, to establish a dedicated working group of industry experts to help fast-track the design and testing of a new SOV concept. Together, the six organisations have committed to developing a detailed, high-performance ship design to meet the needs of commercial scale projects, such as the 17 GW of floating projects awarded in the ScotWind leasing round.

As offshore wind moves into deeper waters with floating wind turbines located far from shore, the sector faces significant logistical and operational challenges that must be addressed efficiently and cost effectively. While the industry has demonstrated the ability to safely complete transfers from traditional SOVs to floating wind platforms, there is room for improvement in transfers where both the vessel and platform are dynamic and in motion.

Commercial scale projects provide the opportunity to optimise these transfers by enabling the development of bespoke SOVs operated under long-term contract that specifically address the local challenges and the requirements of floating wind project operators. This collaboration seeks to capitalise on this opportunity by delivering an SOV design that sets a new industry benchmark for safety, performance, and efficiency.

North Star’s Renewables & Innovations Director, Andrew Duncan, said: “Floating offshore wind presents both challenges and opportunities, and through this collaboration, we can innovate, and design a solution specifically tailored for gigawatt-scale projects. Our goal is to create an innovative, best-in-class ship design that supports the rapid expansion of floating wind technology. By pushing the boundaries of what's possible, we can ensure that our future SOVs deliver the highest levels of safety, efficiency, and operational flexibility, ultimately paving the way for a more sustainable energy future.”