Bibby Marine has awarded a contract to the Spanish shipyard Armon for the construction of a new electric commissioning service operation vessel (eCSOV).
The eCSOV is expected to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and operational costs through its innovative battery system and dual-fuel methanol engines.
The vessel is designed in partnership with a ship design company Seaplace and developed in collaboration with Longitude, a design and engineering services company.
It is engineered to operate on battery power for a full day's operations, with the capability to travel from field to port and back.
Intended for the offshore wind sector, the vessel incorporates digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimise performance throughout its service life.
Armon CEO Laudelino Alperi said: “The complexity of the eCSOV underscores its importance, not only as a technological challenge but as a statement of commitment to a cleaner and greener future.”
“While ambitious, we feel confident that our vast experience, coupled with our advanced facilities and skilled team, will enable us to deliver a vessel that sets new benchmarks for efficiency, sustainability, and innovation in the offshore wind industry.”
Bibby Marine's decision to move the contract to Armon shipyard came after an "amicable move away" from Gondan, with whom Bibby Marine had initially signed the contract in the spring of 2024.
The vessel was originally scheduled for delivery in 2026 by Gondan.
Bibby Marine CEO Nigel Quinn said: “We are excited to launch this vessel, as we understand that its delivery will be a game changer for our industry, speeding up our journey to achieve net zero emissions and leave other operators in our clean wake.
“We are thrilled to be working alongside our new partners Armon and move to the next stage of our project. The delivery of this vessel will bring our clean vision to life, confident it will mean significant advancements to our industry.”
The eCSOV project forms part of the Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) scheme, which is funded by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered by Innovate UK.
ZEVI is part of the Department’s UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) programme, a £206m initiative aimed at developing decarbonisation technologies for the UK’s domestic maritime sector.
