Construction of the next offshore vessel for BS Offshore, a division of the Hamburg-based shipping company Bernhard Schulte, begins at Ulstein Verft in Norway.
The ship was designed by Ulstein for so-called “Walk-to-Work” (W2W) operations, where personnel walk from the ship to a wind turbine via a motion-compensated gangway.
The hull was built at the Crist shipyard in Poland. Since March 11, the newbuilding has been at the Norwegian Ulstein shipyard for completion. This is where the piping, installation of all components, electrical work, system integration and painting will take place.
It is a sister ship to the construction number 320, which was launched on February 23, also for BS Offshore. “We are delighted that the completion of the second CSOV is progressing,” says Matthias Müller, Managing Director of BS Offshore.
The two Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOV) were ordered in summer 2023. There are four options. The Ulstein SX222 units are designed according to the twin X-star concept and therefore have two sterns and main propellers both fore and aft. With Twin X-Stern, the ships reportedly achieve improved fuel efficiency in operation.
The vessel will also have a diesel-electric propulsion system with a large battery storage system, significantly reducing its environmental footprint. It is prepared for methanol as a future fuel. The newbuild is due to be delivered this year. There is space on board for up to 132 crew members and technicians.
BS Offshore charters its vessels under long-term commitments, but the units are also available for spot charters. Well-known ships such as the “Windea Leibniz”, “Windea Jules Verne” and “Windea La Cour” were all designed and built by Ulstein.
