Offshore wind farms with SOVs have more uptime

ESVAGT’s pioneering Service Operation Vessel concept has surpassed expectations but its potential is far from fully exploited yet.

When ESVAGT launched the world’s first two SOVs, the ’Esvagt Froude’ and the ’Esvagt Faraday’, in the spring of 2015, expectations were high for the new type of vessel and service concept.

After two and a half years in service, those expectations have been more than fulfilled.

“The vessels can do far more than promised to our customers – and more than we had even hoped for,” says Ole Ditlev Nielsen, Business Development Manager for ESVAGT:

“We have been able to maintain far more wind turbines than expected in the allotted time. Our customers can see that offshore wind turbine farms with SOVs have more uptime,” says Ole Ditlev Nielsen.

Potential for more

The vessel has far better accessibility in the wind farm than expected. That means that technicians can service the turbines faster:

“It had been expected that every fifth day would be without transfers to the turbines due to poor weather and returns to port. But the vessels have actually performed transfers in nine out of ten days,” says Ole Ditlev Nielsen.

Both the mother vessel and the different elements of the SOV concept have functioned exceptionally. More innovations – the use of STB7 and STB12 transfer boats and the walk to work gangway systems for transfers – have proven to be extremely effective. The STB12 in particular has proven to be an excellent means of ensuring efficiency in daily operations.

For Rune Østergaard, Head of Commercial Wind, optimisation and added value are essential for customers:

“The STB12 has added enormous value to the concept. ’Esvagt Faraday’ sends the STB12 to port every week for customer crew changes and to collect materials and spare parts. It allows the mother vessel to continue working in the wind farm and at the same time bring substantial savings in fuel and mooring fees,” says Rune Østergaard.

From both the customer’s and from ESVAGT’s viewpoint, the contributing factor for the improved performance has been the innovative approach,” says Rune Østergaard:

“It is the constant development and good cooperation towards further developing, improving and maximising the concept in the best way possible,” he says:

“We see another potential as yet unexploited by the SOVs; both to develop production in existing wind farms and for optimal production of future farms. We look forward to developing these in cooperation with our customers,” says Rune Østergaard.