Kongsberg Maritime has delivered its 1,000th ship design – the IWS Seawalker, a state-of-the art windfarm service operation vessel (CSOV), and one of six ‘Skywalker Class’ UT5519 DE for IWS Fleet.
In a naming ceremony in the port of Hanstholm, Denmark, the IWS Seawalker, becomes the third Skywalker Class vessel to be delivered, and is due to be deployed in the North Sea in the coming weeks.
Kongsberg Maritime’s design team has been delivering innovative vessel designs and integrated solutions for more than 50 years, and today the company continues to offer pioneering vessels across a range of global markets.
Lisa Edvardsen Haugan, President of Kongsberg Maritime, remarked: “During 2024, we have been celebrating 50 years of pioneering ship designs, so we are especially proud to also unveil our 1,000th ship, the service operation vessel – IWS Seawalker. This milestone is a testament to our enduring commitment to innovation and is the latest example of how our ship design specialists have worked with many customers over five decades, to deliver some of the most advanced, efficient, and capable ships sailing today.
“IWS Fleet’s investment in the Skywalker Class vessels demonstrates a firm focus on using future-oriented technology in an exciting and growing market. As the Captain and crew of the IWS Seawalker prepare to start serving the rapidly growing offshore wind farms in the North Sea, we wish them well in all their future voyages.”
Speaking at the naming ceremony in Hanstholm, Christopher Andersen Heidenreich, Managing Director, IWS Fleet, said: “As well as being a big day for everyone at IWS, as we welcome the third of our six Skywalker Class vessels to our operational fleet, we know this is also a very special moment for Kongsberg Maritime. Together we celebrate the delivery of their 1000th vessel design, and we’re honoured to be part of such a significant milestone. Just like the very first UT vessels of the 1970s, this latest advanced service operation vessel design is a pioneer of its day, setting high standards for safe, efficient, and innovative operations in the global offshore energy industry.
“Together, we’re shaping the future of offshore wind energy through technology, innovation and partnership, and I congratulate the Kongsberg Maritime team on this fantastic achievement.”
The early 1970s, at the dawn of the offshore oil and gas industry, saw the very first vessels, designed specifically for the harsh operating conditions of the North Sea.
From the pioneering UT 704 platform supply vessel back in 1974 to the IWS Seawalker today, Kongsberg Maritime has consistently led the way in providing its customers with vessels designed around the pillars of safety, operational efficiency, and sustainability, ensuring they perform reliably even in the harshest conditions.
Kongsberg Maritime’s scope of supply is extensive across the six Skywalker Class ships. The company is providing design and system integration, which includes a wide range of equipment. Main propulsion is from 4 x US 255 L PM azimuth thrusters, with permanent magnet (PM) motors mounted on top of the thrusters. This offers a fully symmetrical propulsion and manoeuvring system, matching the symmetrical hull design, fore and aft.
The ‘UT Design’ range soon became the benchmark design for the industry and has remained at the forefront of the offshore industry, ever since. The UT design range has also developed to include other ship types including oceanographic research, coastal protection and most recently a range of vessels designed specifically for operating in offshore wind farms.
In other markets, covering cargo, passenger and fishing fleets, the company has delivered around 200 ships from its ‘NVC’ family of designs. Over the years, NVC designs have covered a wide range of vessels. These include cargo ships and high-speed Ro-Pax ferries, explorer cruise ships and an extensive range of vessels for the fisheries and aquaculture market.
Over the last half century, the company’s naval architects have provided 1,000 detailed vessel designs to ship owners in more than 50 countries worldwide, with more than 300 supplied to Norwegian owners. Shipyards in 40 countries have, over the years, built Kongsberg Maritime designs from the UT and NVC ranges.
The Kongsberg Maritime ship design team is based in Hjørungavåg and Aalesund on the west coast of Norway and is supported by a Kongsberg-owned Croatian company, Navis Consult, which provides a range of engineering services in support of the company’s products and ship design projects.
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