Ordered in 2018, the Wind of Hope SOV is scheduled to arrive next year at Ørsted's operations and maintenance (O&M) facility at the port of Grimsby in the UK.

The vessel will act as a wind turbine technicians' accommodation and working base for anyone who will spend two weeks at a time at Hornsea Two.

The 84-metre SOV has diesel-electric propulsion and DP2 capabilities, which can accommodate up to 64 wind turbine technicians and a vessel crew. It was designed for crew and cargo transfers with a motion-compensated gangway and an onboard helideck.

This is the second SOV from LDA that was chartered by the offshore wind developer.

In 2018, at Ørsted's Borkum Riffgrund 1 & 2 and Gode Wind 1 & 2 offshore wind farms in Germany, the vessel owner launched the Wind of Change SOV, an 83-meter long vessel used for O&M service.

Wind of Change, also constructed in Turkey by Cemre Shipyard, began operating in 2019 at the German offshore wind farms.

Salt Ship Design has designed both vessels. The 1.4 GW Hornsea Two Ørsted project will consist of 165 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW turbines and is due for commissioning in 2022.

Maritime Business World