Ørsted is deploying an additional service vessel, the “Wind of Hope”, for its offshore wind farms in the German North Sea.
In addition, the staff at the Norden-Norddeich site is to be significantly increased.
The “Wind of Hope” is now being deployed as the second Service Operation Vessel (SOV) in Ørsted’s German offshore wind farms in the North Sea to carry out maintenance work on the company’s 337 wind turbines. It is the second vessel designed and built specifically for the needs of offshore wind power to be commissioned by Ørsted in Germany, following its sister ship “Wind of Change”, which has been in operation since 2019.
“With its design and individual technical capabilities, the ‘Wind of Hope’ is perfectly tailored to efficient and sustainable maintenance operations and the needs of our employees,” explains Thijs Schless, Operations Manager at Ørsted in Norddeich. “Our expansion in recent years has almost doubled the amount of wind power capacity we have installed in the German North Sea. The new service vessel will help us to continue generating energy at the high level we are achieving today.”
Diesel-electric drive with hybrid support
The 84-metre-long “Wind of Hope” is equipped with a sustainable diesel-electric propulsion system with hybrid support. A battery pack also supports the drive concept. To ensure safety during maintenance, the gangway has a motion compensation system that compensates for swell and thus makes it easier for personnel to cross. An intelligent Dynamic Positioning (DP) control system is also used, which allows the ship to remain stationary with a maximum deviation of one meter.
The SOV offers space for 90 cabins for service technicians and crew. Only single cabins with windows and en-suite bathrooms are available on board. Meals are freshly prepared in the canteen, which has space for 40 people. The ship also has its own fresh water supply. Like the “Wind of Change”, the “Wind of Hope” will in future dock in Emden harbor every two weeks for a crew change and to load equipment.
Ørsted has 30 new positions to fill
In order to meet the requirements of the operation and further increase efficiency, Ørsted will fill a total of 30 additional positions that were previously covered by external service providers, thereby increasing the number of employees on site by around 15%.
“We are looking for additional colleagues at our site to strengthen our internal capabilities and work with us to ensure that our offshore wind turbines produce green electricity for Germany every day,” says Schless. “This will strengthen our location in Norddeich as an important offshore service center.”
At the heart of the growth are positions for team leaders and service technicians for the maintenance of high-voltage components and systems, which play a crucial role in maintaining the operational safety of offshore wind turbines.
Regular maintenance of the systems ensures that all high-voltage components such as transformers, cables, switchgear and insulation are working properly and that there are no faults or hazards. In addition, new team leader positions will be created who will be responsible for all inspections related to elevators and crane systems on the wind turbines as well as necessary safety equipment.
