Esvagt to Build New SOV to Service Dutch Offshore Wind Farm
Danish vessel owner Esvagt has secured a service contract with Vestas for Ecowende’s Hollandse Kust (west) offshore wind farm in the Netherlands, and started the process of designing and building the new service operation vessel (SOV).
The newbuild will be the sixth purpose-built SOV for Vestas, reaffirming the partnership between the two companies that have been cooperating since 2010.
The Hollandse Kust (west), developed by Ecowende - a joint venture between Shell and Eneco, will consist of 52 offshore wind turbines with a combined capacity of over 760MW. The 15 MW turbines will be supplied by Vestas.
The new wind farm will be commissioned in 2026. Esvagt and Vestas have agreed a 15-year contract with extension options, which is aligned with Vestas’ service contract for EcoWende to ensure the optimal performance of the turbines.
“Esvagt and Vestas share an extensive history since the earliest days of offshore wind, and Vestas has been one of our key partners in developing and refining our SOV concept,” said Søren Karas, Esvagt’s Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer.
The Ecowende wind farm adheres to several non-price criteria from the Dutch government, including the creation of a bird corridor within the wind farm layout, increasing the hub height to create more vertical space for birds as well as integrating bird and bat detection and deterrence systems into the turbine design.
The wind farm will be constructed approximately 53 kilometres off the Dutch coast, near IJmuiden.
