On Friday 17 June, offshore wind service company Edda Wind celebrated the naming ceremony of Edda Brint, its latest Service Operation vessel (SOV). The traditional ceremony where a bottle of champagne was sacrificed for good luck took place at Astilleros Balenciaga Shipyard in Zumaia, Spain.
Edda is a name tradition that Edda Wind has continued from its founding company Østensjø Rederi, and “Brint” is Danish for Hydrogen.
The Godmother of the vessel is Danielle Harris. She works as a Team Leader in the Service readiness department at Vestas Wind Systems. She has been the team leader for all the technicians who were recruited and went through the training/service readiness for the Seagreen project in Scotland, where Edda Brint will be deployed. She has been pivotal in the project and is still the direct contact for the technicians.
“In directly managing the Seagreen technicians over the past two years, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of the team, and supporting their progression has been a pleasure. From at times feeling like their mother to now being the ‘Godmother’ for the vessel too, it is an honour to be so involved with the Seagreen project, and I am extremely excited to see the project move into its next phase,” says Danielle Harris.
Edda Brint is a purpose-built Service Operation vessel (SOV) designed with unparalleled flexibility and operability, prepared for emission-free operations with a hydrogen-based propulsion system. The vessel will serve as the mother vessel for wind turbine technicians as they perform commissioning and maintenance work on offshore wind turbines. The SOV is 82.85 m in length and can accommodate up to 60 persons in total.
Edda Wind’s SOVs are designed to set a new standard in the offshore wind market. Every effort has been made in the design to maximise the efficiency of operations of the wind farm. In addition, these vessels will be ready for running emission-free on a hydrogen-based propulsion system, hence the name “Edda Brint”. Within just a few years, they will be the first SOVs operating without carbon emissions, truly enabling a green future.
“This is yet another milestone for Edda Wind. I want to thank everyone for contributing to making this day so special. Thank you to Balenciaga Shipyard for their effort in building this vessel, and the same to all others who have worked on this project. Also, a big thank you to Danielle Harris for doing us the honour of being the Godmother,” says CEO of Edda Wind Kenneth Walland.
Edda Brint is almost completed and is now being prepared for her sea trials. The vessel will be delivered from Balenciaga in August, and following installation of the gangway system, the vessel will commence the contract with MHI Vestas at the Seagreen Offshore Wind farm. The contract has a firm period of 15 years, i.e. running until 2037.
Edda Wind is in a very active period, with Edda Breeze(C489) being delivered from Gondan two weeks ago and newbuild no. C490 was launched at the same yard in March for delivery in the first quarter of 2023. Balenciaga will launch the second SOV to Edda Wind no. C416 in July for delivery in the first quarter of 2023.