Norwind Offshore CSOV takes road to Rio

Norwind Offshore’s commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) Norwind Gale has been redeployed to Brazil from the North Sea.

Delivered in 2023 by Vard Bralia, Norwind Gale has an overall length of 85 m, a beam of around 20 m and depth of 7 m, with an Uptime 3D motion-compensated gangway system with an integrated logistics solution and 3D crane, and accommodation for 87.

Propulsion is supplied by four high-speed Caterpillar Marine generator sets (two Cat 3512C HD and two C32 units) arranged in ‘father-son’ configuration supplied by Pon Power, with a Corvus Energy battery package that drives two Kongsberg Maritime AZ-PM 2600 permanent magnet Rim drive azimuth propellers, two Kongsberg Maritime PMTT 2000 permanent magnet Rim drive tunnel thrusters and one swing-up retractable thruster.

Built to DNV class, Norwind Gale carries the class notations 1A BIS Battery(Power) Clean(Design) COAT-PSPC(B) COMF(C-2, V-2) DYNPOS(AUTR) E0 NAUT(AW) Recyclable Shore power Silent(E) SPS Strengthened(DK) Walk2work ER(SCR). The vessel is registered in the Norwegian International Ship Register with Ålesund as the port of registry.

The Vard 4 19 design CSOV was departing FPSO Frade located in water of 1,080 m in the North Campos Basin offshore Brazil on 19 May, according to Marine Traffic.

Brazil’s PRIO holds a 100% interest in the Frade and Wahoo fields, producing about 38,300 barrel of oil equivalents per day. To gain control of the Frade field in 2019, it acquired Chevron’s 52% stake for US$450M, INPEX’s 18% interest for US$60M and Petrobras’ 30% ownership for US$100M.

Solstad in long-term deals

Meanwhile, freshly Oslo-listed Solstad Maritime ASA announced multiple long-term contracts with Petrobras. These include four-year deals for two anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels, one of which includes remotely operated vehicle services, starting in Q1 2026, another four-year contract for the construction support vessel Normand Flower starting in December 2025. Additionally, Solstad Maritime’s AHTS Normand Turquesa has won a four-year contract with a nine-month extension on its current contract. The deal will keep Normand Turquesa fixed until February 2030.

DOF builds backlog

Meanwhile, DOF Group announced four long-term charter and service contract awards with Petrobras following a competitive tender process.
Skandi Iguaçu, one of the biggest AHTS vessels ever built in Brazil with a 350mt+ bollard pull (BP) and large winch storage capacity, has been contracted for four years, with commencement in February 2026 folllowing its current contract.
Furthermore, Skandi Angra (280mt BP), Skandi Paraty (288mt BP) and Skandi Urca (260mt BP) have all been contracted for four years, starting in January 2026. The scope for these three contracts includes work class ROVs rated to operate at water depths of up to 3,000 m.
The combined value of the contracts is approximately US$480M.
DOF Group chief executive, Mons S. Aase, said these contract awards build its backlog into 2030 at “solid terms,” and “reinforce our position as a leading player within the high-end AHTS vessel segment in Brazil.”

Early May, DOF Group reported securing fixtures for two of its subsea vessels in Brazil.

The dive support vessel (DSV) Skandi Achiever was awarded an offshore service and survey contract for a SURF project, starting in May and covering three campaigns during the year. Skandi Achiever has an 18-person sat dive system, with accommodation for 100.

DOF said its STX ROV 06 design subsea construction vessel Skandi Salvador had been fixed by Subsea7 in support of SURF projects and extended to July 2025.