Four years ago, Matthew Gordon took over the CEO mantle at North Star, steering the 137-year-old company onto a path of exceptional transformation and growth.
Since then, the business has made waves in the offshore wind sector with its hybrid-propulsion offshore wind ships, quickly establishing itself at the forefront of the UK’s service operation vessel (SOV) market.
Not known for following the pack, North Star’s unwavering commitment to innovation is what is firmly setting it apart.
Its SOV fleet now also includes commissioning SOVs, a new Midi-SOV design, and the team is a step closer with its plans for an electric SOV. The team will be discussing the latter in detail for the first time with their technology partners Stillstrom A/S at a special session being held during WindEnergy Hamburg at North Star’s stand (hall B, stand 319).
Under the steadfast influence of its senior leadership team, it’s this entrepreneurial spirit that has seen North Star not only achieve remarkable success domestically but its expansion into the German offshore wind market.
This growth is part of the company’s masterplan to add 40 SOVs to its fleet by 2040. The gap for achieving this ambition is steadily closing with two additional vessels ordered this year so far, taking its renewables tonnage running total to eight either already delivered for long-term charter at Dogger Bank or currently under construction.
This includes one for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy at East Anglia THREE in the Southern North Sea, and another for EnBW to service the He Dreiht wind farm off the coast of Germany.
Each ship is designed to meet client specifications while ensuring the wellbeing of its crews. With a proven track record of early delivery and operational excellence, none of this has come about by accident.
“We made a truly impactful offshore wind debut with our stunning, high-performance hybrid-powered SOVs and hybrid daughter craft – a first for the offshore wind sector,” said CEO Matthew Gordon. “This tipped the scales in our favour, giving us the competitive advantage and winning us our first clutch of newbuild contracts in 2021 with decade-minimum charters.”
Unlike other vessel operators looking to grow their fleet, North Star can rapidly unlock the huge amounts of funding required to support the construction of multiple ship builds.
Matthew added: “This is a crucial element and why we secured further debt investment recently of up to £425 million. This committed financial package provides potential clients with certainty on our ability to deliver vessels as outlined in our tender bids, financially de-risking the process completely and a superior ability to turnaround high quality SOV newbuild programmes more rapidly, ensuring the best value and service in the industry.”
The Midi-SOV solution
Another challenge the sector faces, which North Star is addressing, is the difficulty of accessing offshore wind sites, particularly during adverse weather conditions. The Midi-SOV aims to increase efficiency by providing more hours of availability, especially in winter months.
North Star is the first to deploy the Midi-SOV, designed to bridge the gap between CTVs and SOVs. It offers enhanced comfort and workability, providing a cost-effective alternative to full-scale SOVs. Optimised with operational data, the Midi-SOV meets the specific needs of offshore wind developers and complements existing fleets.
Andrew Duncan, renewables and innovations director at North Star, said: “We have been investigating this sector for several years and initiated the collaborative project with Chartwell Marine and VARD as a route to market.
"We’re excited about the operational versatility the design can give us, as well as the high standards of safety, availability and cost efficiency it promises – and proud to play our part in bringing the first Midi-SOVs to market.”
The future is electric
The firm, employing 1,400 seafarers and onshore personnel across Aberdeen, Lowestoft, Newcastle and Hamburg, committed early on to utilising the best technology and solutions to create value for its clients. It has partnered with industry leaders like VARD, Chartwell Marine, Alicat Workboats, Jungle AI and MO4 to successfully deliver its renewables fleet.
The company’s latest collaboration with Stillstrom aims to reduce vessel emissions in the field. The Danish company is leveraging its extensive experience in offshore charging infrastructure to demonstrate how its charging solutions can benefit the operations of North Star’s growing SOV fleet.
James Bradford, North Star’s chief technology officer, explained: “We share a commitment to promoting sustainable industry practices, and our charging and electrification solutions will enable the E-SOVs to recharge their battery systems using wind energy while in the field.
“We look forward to unveiling our significant advances, which help de-risk this solution for developers and turbine OEMs, enabling the integration of necessary charging technologies into new wind farms and significantly lowering carbon emissions.”
To find out more about North Star and Stillstrom’s joint fringe event during WindEnergy Hamburg, please email events@northstarshipping.co.uk
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