Posted on July 12, 2023
Eastern Shipbuilding Group has been contracted by Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. to convert a 280-foot offshore supply vessel (OSV) to a service operation vessel (SOV) to meet the growing demand of the U.S. offshore wind market, as well as to serve the demands of the petro-energy flotel market. The vessel was constructed by Eastern Shipbuilding Group in 2014 and will be converted at the company’s 300-acre Allanton Shipyard. The HOSSOVTM 300E is a U.S. Flag, Jones Act compliant vessel capable of supporting both construction and O&M activities. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in the spring of 2025.
“This SOV conversion is a transformational project that will serve the emerging U.S. offshore wind market,” said Joey D’Isernia, CEO of Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. “We are proud to be the first shipbuilding company to blaze this trail with a vessel we crafted and with our great partners at Hornbeck Offshore Services.”
The HOSSOV™ 300E has been designed in collaboration with VARD, the original designer of the vessel, to address the key “desirements” of the U.S. offshore wind client community based upon VARD’s other recent SOV designs. The HOSSOV™300E will have capacity to accommodate up to 90 or more persons in flotel or offshore wind service mode, with safe, stepless walk-to-work transfer capabilities in up to 2.5m sea states. The SOV will be equipped with an Uptime 30m motion-compensated offshore gangway, a 10-ton 3D-compensated crane, helideck, enclosed warehouse and stepless boat landing. Its existing state-of-the-art diesel-electric powerplant will be enhanced by a 1,500 kW-hour battery hybrid power system, enabling reduced emission during offshore operations and in harbor transit. The SOV accommodations will be constructed to ABS Comfort Class habitability notation standards, and will include a host of onboard amenities typical of a newbuild SOV.
“We are excited to expand our deep experience in walk-to-work and offshore accommodation services with a fully capable SOV for the benefit of the offshore wind community and our offshore petroleum clients. The SOV is a welcomed addition to our high-spec fleet of vessels, as we continue to grow in both our core oilfield and diversified non-oilfield businesses,” said Todd Hornbeck, President and CEO of Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc.
