RWE, North Star sign long-term agreements for next-generation SOVs

The offshore wind developer has entered into a long-term partnership with North Star that will see it charter two next-generation SOVs, Grampian Eagle and Grampian Kestrel, which are both capable of using low-emissions fuels. Full marine services will be delivered by North Star as part of the charters.

RWE and North Star have also signed reservation agreements for two newbuild vessels to be delivered by the Norwegian shipbuilder Vard. The newbuilds will support the maintenance of RWE’s growing offshore wind fleet from 2028 and 2029 onwards.

The two newbuilds will be based on the Vard 4 19 design. Each 88-m vessel will have a motion-compensated gangway with elevator, boat landing and accommodation for up to 120 personnel. They will have hybrid battery propulsion and will be methanol-ready.

Grampian Eagle has been chartered for at least 12 years and will support the operation and maintenance activity on the Triton Knoll offshore windfarm in the UK. For a minimum of 10 years, Grampian Kestrel will support the maintenance of RWE’s German offshore windfarms north of the island of Heligoland. Both vessels were built this year and can use alternative fuels to minimise CO2 emissions. The German charters start this winter and the UK contracts in mid-2026. RWE has the option to extend both contracts by up to additional three years.

Until the North Star vessels are available, two vessels will be supplied by Windward Offshore until the end of 2026.

Windward Offshore said the charter contracts would be fulfilled by the commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs), Windward Athens and Windward Paris. Windward Athens will commence operations in Q4 2025 on RWE’s German offshore windfarms, and Windward Paris is due to begin operations mid-2026 at the Triton Knoll windfarm.

Also built by Vard, the CSOVs have the latest low-emissions technology, battery-hybrid systems and smart automation to reduce their environmental impact. Each vessel is fitted with an Ampelmann W-Type walk-to-work gangway, a 7-tonne motion-compensated 3D crane and has accommodation for up to 120 personnel.

RWE Offshore Wind chief operating officer Thomas Michel said, “Through this long-term partnership, RWE is securing next-generation service operations vessels against the backdrop of a tight market.”

North Star chief executive Gitte Gard Talmo described the deal as “the beginning of a strategic partnership.”

North Star said the four-vessel agreement will secure employment for up to 200 personnel working across its fleet, including up to 100 new roles on- and offshore over the next decade.