It has been announced that Windcat Workboats has officially launched their first hydrogen dual-fuel commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV). This milestone for the company took place at Damen Shipyards.

The workboat that has been launched is the first of six that the company has planned. The innovative CSOV first entered the water at Ha Long Shipyard, which is located in Vietnam. The vessel uses CMB.TECH’s dual-fuel hydrogen engine technology to power the hybrid-electric propulsion system.

Altogether the vessel that has been created measures eighty-seven metres and is capable of accommodating 120 people. All of these passengers would be able to be onboard whilst working on offshore projects for prolonged periods of time.

It has been stated that CMB.TECH using hydrogen that is combusted alongside diesel within its engines, has the ability and benefit of reducing emissions up to an estimated 60-90%. This consequently offers a flexible route for vessel operators, in which they are able to gradually transition to having cleaner operations.

At the moment the plan for Windcat is that they will have five more CSOVs launched through two contracts that have been signed between Damen, Windcat and CMB.TECH. These contracts were signed between 2022 and 2024 and furthermore, the firm has stated that, ‘all six vessels will be able to use hydrogen, with volumes increasing as the market progresses.’

Sales Manager Benelux for Damen, Joost van der Weiden, commented, “The hybrid-electric propulsion system coupled with an efficient power distribution system means that there will be no need to run a backup diesel generator and the vessel will never use more power than necessary. We have optimised the thruster configuration, enhancing the dynamic positioning during transfer operations. All in all, we expect innovations like these to add up to substantial reductions in fuel consumption and, therefore, emissions.”

Windcat Managing Director, Willem van der Wel, added, “We have been working with Damen towards this day for some years now and to see the first CSOV glide into the water was truly a special moment. We are excited for this first vessel to hit the water today and look forward to introducing this game-changing vessel to the world next year.”