SeaOwls and Ulstein Design & Solutions have terminated their partnership to jointly develop a heavy lift jack-up vessel solution for offshore wind installation. Instead, the two companies will go their own separate ways in the offshore wind industry.
The patent rights of the SOUL concept were developed under the cooperation of both companies and will continue to be held by both SeaOwls and Ulstein. Each company will pursue its own business opportunities based on the shared patent.
The two companies started collaborating on the project in October 2016. They set out to design a vessel which will serve the future needs of the offshore wind industry, but will also be suitable for operations in the offshore oil and gas market.
Rather than developing a scaled-up version of a conventional heavy lift jack-up vessel, the companies set out to develop a completely new vessel design.
The vessel is designed to install the 10-15MW wind turbines in the same time frame as currently used for installing 6-8MW units.
”The innovative heavy lift jack-up vessel design concept is the safest and most efficient solution to transport and install the world’s largest and powerful offshore wind turbines in the coming decades. SeaOwls and Ulstein are committed to assist their clients to build the most suitable jack-up vessel to enable the industry to take the next step to a sustainable world,” the companies said in a statement.