Colombo Dockyard signs ‘2 firm vessels plus 2 options’ contract with Norway firm

From left: Clarksons Platou Head of Offshore Christian Brugard, Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding SVP Industrial Investments Jan-Eyvin Wang, Austrheim Edda Wind Chief Financial Officer Tom Johan, Clarksons Platou Offshore Renewables Rouven C. Willner, Edda Wind Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Walland, Colombo Dockyard PLC Managing Director/CEO D.V. Abeysinghe, Chairman Hideaki Tanaka, and Advokatfirmaet Bahr AS Partner Geir Gustavsson,

Colombo Dockyard PLC (CDPLC) has signed and executed ‘2 firm vessels plus 2 options’ shipbuilding contracts to build Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) for Edda Wind ASA Norway, a large pure-play operator in the offshore wind industry.

These vessels are to be used to provide services to offshore wind farms.

Edda Wind is a publicly listed company, and the largest investors are Østensjø Wind AS, a company controlled by Johannes Østensjø dy AS, Wilhelmsen New Energy AS, a company controlled by Wilh. Wilhelmsen Holding AS, Geveran Trading Co. Ltd., a company indirectly controlled by trusts established by John Fredriksen and Xclat Holdings Ltd., a subsidiary of the Quantum Pacific Shipping group associated with Idan Ofer.  

The 88.3m long CSOV is developed as an eco-friendly vessel due to its clean design, low emission, powered by three main generator sets (diesel electric) and a battery system for peak shaving. The ship design Salt 0425 is developed by Salt Ship Design of Norway.

The CSOV provides accommodation facilities for 120 persons and with the motion compensated ‘Walk to Work’ Gangway provides the ability for the safe transfer of personnel from vessel to wind turbines. The vessels will function as mother ships for wind turbine technicians as they perform commissioning and maintenance work on the wind turbines.

The CSOV is capable of position keeping manually by joystick and automatically by using the dynamic positioning system which is required while working closer to offshore wind turbines. Additional features include a motion compensated Offshore Crane, Heli Deck for Helicopter landing to name a few. The CSOV shall be built to DNV ship classification society and meet Norwegian flag state requirements. These vessels intended for operations in the offshore renewable energy sector are an addition to the shipbuilding portfolio of CDPLC. With this project, CDPLC has been successful in securing three consecutive major shipbuilding projects from European shipowners.

Currently, CDPLC has a healthy order book building six Eco-Bulk Carrier vessels for another Norwegian owner and a Cable Laying and Repair Vessel (CRV) for a French owner, establishing the good reputation earned by CDPLC in the European Market with the brand “Built-in Sri Lanka blending Sri Lankan technology with Japanese quality” receiving high recognition and acceptance in Europe market.

CDPLC has been targeting the European market extensively, especially for the construction of highly specialised and highly complex vessels which are of high demand.

CDPLC has been highly successful in capturing and serving these emerging markets in Europe with the new marketing strategies adopted.

CDPLC’s marketing efforts have been able to bring in much needed foreign currency to the Sri Lankan economy whilst providing employment opportunities to Sri Lankan engineers and technicians and contributing to the technological advancement of the Sri Lankan workforce.

CDPLC operates in joint collaboration with Onomichi Dockyard Company Ltd., of Japan which owns 51% at Colombo Dockyard PLC. CDPLC also has a 35% shareholding by the Sri Lankan Government institutions. As the leader of the Shipbuilding Industry in Sri Lanka, CDPLC continuously proves its excellence through successful securing and execution of shipbuilding projects worldwide and is one of the front runners of Sri Lankan industrialisation.