Schoeller Holdings and Deutsche Offshore Schifffahrt have placed an order for four innovative special vessels for the offshore energy market.
With four C-CSOV (Construction Commissioning Service Operation Vessels), a joint venture between Schoeller Holdings and Deutsche Offshore Schifffahrt is entering the offshore energy market: The joint company, which was founded a year ago, will market the special vessels as developer and commercial manager.
They were ordered by Schoeller Holdings in Cyprus from CSSC Huangpu Wenchong, part of the state-owned CSSC Group, for delivery from spring 2027.
Equipped with the highest level of comfort, the innovative ship type offers space for up to 100 technicians on board. Due to the wide range of applications, the 96.25 m long and 20 metre wide vessels are suitable for wind farm operators, turbine manufacturers, grid operators and companies in the oil and gas sector for work above and below water.
Columbia Shipmanagement, which, like the heavy-lift shipping company “AAL”, belongs to Schoeller Holdings, will provide the technical management.
Schoeller invests in offshore division
“The energy market is longing for new players and more ships. We will charter the C-CSOV worldwide, both on the spot market and for long-term contracts of up to 15 years,” explains Philipp Maracke, Managing Partner of Deutsche Offshore Schifffahrt. He founded the company together with Johannes Wolters, also Managing Partner. Both entrepreneurs have extensive professional experience in the maritime industry, having worked in management positions for renowned German shipyards for many years.
The C-CSOV marks an innovation in the offshore market. While the CSOV designs of the current fleet are tailored to the sole purpose of offshore wind turbines, the C-CSOV stands out with a significantly expanded range of applications.
This new vessel type features an enlarged and fully modular working deck, creating over 850 square meters of unobstructed multi-purpose space. In conjunction with a 50-ton AHC crane and integrated 3D compensation capability, the special vessel can also be used for cable repairs, IMR and light surface and underwater construction work in addition to its traditional range of tasks.
The fully integrated offshore gangway system provides access to platforms at a height of between 12 and 30 meters above the waterline. A large elevator enables technicians and the required materials to be transferred quickly and smoothly to the installations. A 12.4-ton helicopter deck complements the requirements that the offshore industry places on such special ships. The ship type is also designed for the use of so-called Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV).
Optimised hydrodynamics in conjunction with an energy-efficient selection of the drive and energy concept reduce fuel consumption. A 1000 kWh battery pack and the shore power connection should be emphasised here. The elimination of hydraulics on board, electrification of larger equipment components as well as recuperation and heat recovery reduce the ship’s energy requirements and ecological footprint.
In future, the special ships will be operated in a climate-neutral manner: The conversion to the alternative fuel methanol has been considered in the design far beyond the class mark. The dedicated tanks and piping are already fully integrated. In addition, the energy concept has been designed in such a way that it will also be possible to operate the ship fully electrically in the future.
