Siemens has signed a chartering agreement with ship owner Bernhard Schulte for two new service operations vessels (SOV) to be purpose-built for the long-term service and maintenance operations of the Gemini and Sandbank/Dan Tysk offshore wind power plants in the North Sea.

Siemens has signed a chartering agreement with ship owner Bernhard Schulte for two new service operations vessels (SOV) to be purpose-built for the long-term service and maintenance operations of the Gemini and Sandbank/Dan Tysk offshore wind power plants in the North Sea. Officials from Siemens and Bernhard Schulte together with its offshore wind affiliate WINDEA Offshore met this past week in Brande, Denmark, to commemorate the project start and sign the chartering agreement.

The two new SOVs will be built by Ulstein Verft Norway and will become operational in 2016 and 2017 when both the Gemini and Sandbank offshore wind projects are scheduled to begin operations. An added benefit of the vessel being built for the Sandbank project is that it can also be utilized for Siemens' service operations for the nearby Dan Tysk wind farm already in operation.

"Siemens is proud to be the first in the industry to introduce these new purpose-built SOVs as we continue to focus on advancing our offshore service operations for the benefit of our customers," said Mark Albenze, CEO, Siemens Wind Power and Renewables Services Business Unit. "By improving efficiencies in our service operations we can help our customers realize optimal performance from their turbines, thereby contributing to advancing the competiveness of offshore wind energy for the future. Our charter agreement with Bernhard Schulte offers us the opportunity to work with an experienced ship-owning company and we look forward to the start of offshore operations with these new SOVs in 2016."

This year, as part of its innovative new offshore logistics concept, Siemens is scheduled to begin utilizing its first two SOVs commissioned specifically for the Butendiek and Baltic II offshore wind projects in Germany.

As the industry leader in offshore wind service, Siemens is at the forefront of introducing these new SOVs that are being constructed specifically for offshore wind service operations. Siemens is taking an active role in the vessel design with particular emphasis on safety and improving efficiency. By utilizing these purpose-built SOVs, customers will benefit from Siemens' emphasis on more effective use of resources and personnel, as well as better accessibility with less time lost waiting for suitable weather conditions. They also feature advanced active gangway systems for safe access to the turbines in varying weather and wave conditions. In addition, the Gemini and Sandbank/Dan Tysk SOVs will feature a helideck. The SOV logistics can then combined with the steady ground readiness of a helicopter to provide customers with a customized logistics program designed to meet their specific needs.