CMB’s Windcat seals Eneco CTV deal

Crew transfer vessel operator Windcat, part of Antwerp-based shipping and logistics group Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB), has struck a five-year charter deal with Dutch utility Eneco that will also see the two companies work together on decarbonisation of marine logistics using hydrogen dual-fuel solutions.

The Windcat 32, the first vessel for the charter, will be tailored to Eneco’s specifications, including the installation of an IMO Tier III engine, which, according to Windcat, significantly reduces NOx emissions. The vessel will operate from IJmuiden port and provide access to Eneco’s offshore wind farms: Prinses Amalia Windpark, Luchterduinen and Hollandse Kust Noord.

Windcat rolled out the world’s first hydrogen-powered CTV, the Hydrocat 48, after its delivery and trials with its first customer, Vestas, in 2022. “With the Hydrocat 48, we invested heavily in emission reduction by using a dual-fuel hydrogen engine, one of the reasons Eneco wanted to partner with us,” explained Willem van der Wel, the company’s managing director.

The partnership allows for additional vessels to be used to further support the existing projects as well as new offshore wind farm projects that Eneco will be part of.

Windcat Workboats owns and operates a growing fleet of over 50 CTVs, with an additional five being built, mainly in the European offshore wind sector, but also in the oil and gas industry and outside Europe. A sister company, Windcat Offshore, was also recently launched as a dedicated business focused on commissioning service operation vessels (CSOVs) ownership and operations. The company has lined up a series of hydrogen-powered ships at Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards for deliveries starting in 2025.