Norway’s GC Rieber Shipping has booked two service operation vessels (SOVs) at Cemre shipyard in Turkey with the first delivery expected in the first quarter of 2025.
The Oslo-listed shipowner and project house has established a stand-alone company for the vessels called WindKeeper with a total investment of about €110m ($109.6m).
The WindKeeper SOVs are based on small water area twin hull (SWATH) methodology and design, which according to GC Rieber, offers the offshore wind sector improved operability, ultra-low fuel consumption and the option of fully electric operations in the field.
“We believe WindKeeper will be a preferred alternative for this decade,” said Christoffer Knudsen, GC Rieber Shipping’s chief commercial officer.
The project and vessels are fully financed through a combination of equity and debt financing. Sparebanken Vest and Eksfin have provided long-term loans of a minimum €51m.
“Coming off close to a decade of downturn in the offshore industry, being able to finance and realise such a project on a stand-alone basis, further evidences the strong capacities of the project house,” added the company’s chief executive Einar Ytredal.
The order includes options for further two vessels.
