The Elevation Series won in the category Offshore Renewables at the OSJ Awards 2023. Damen and Windcat developed in close co-operation the ‘Elevation Series’ that synthesise the operational experience from Windcat and the shipbuilding expertise from Damen.

The magazine Offshore Support Journal announced the winners of the awards at their annual OSJ conference and award show on the 8th February in London. The Elevation Series design won because it provides new levels of flexibility and capability in offshore wind park construction, commissioning and maintenance. A CSOV is a vessel that remains in an offshore wind farm for an extended period of up to 30 days, providing maintenance materials and housing technicians in hotel-style accommodation whilst providing access to offshore structures via a walk to work gangway system.

Almost uniquely the vessel has been designed to truly embrace the future with integrated hydrogen powered propulsion, a battery hybrid system and the ability to add further power via a deck connection, whether this be green shore power, offshore charging, additional batteries or additional green fuel power generation systems. These features and increased flexibility aligning with the efforts of offshore wind turbine operators to generate renewable energy and produce offshore green hydrogen have resulted in a future proof CSOV design ready today.

From left to right: Mark Couwenberg (Design & Proposal Engineer, Damen) and Stephen Bolton (Managing Director, Windcat Offshore)

The Elevation Series CSOVs have been designed by Damen Shipyards in cooperation with Windcat and CMB.TECH. The vessels are 87 m long, 20 m wide, can accommodate 120 people on board.

“Great vessel design starts with an uncompromised hull and the focus of the design team was to create a vessel that is very stable in itself prior to additional systems such as anti-roll tanks. Following this, the design team worked on a new propulsion concept that reduces vessel movements when operating in DP mode and maintaining a fixed position; the Damen DPX-DRIVE. This system has four azimuth thrusters that provide propulsion in any direction independently.” Says Stephen Bolton, Managing Director Windcat Offshore.

With stability and positioning optimized, the design team worked to add an integrated motion compensated gangway and elevator tower with the greatest range available on the market, reaching up to 30 m above the water surface.

Within the vessel a stepless and slope-less efficient and comfortable layout has been arranged that ensures the most efficient and safe routing of personnel whilst providing a clear separation between work and rest.