Windtech and Damen Launch Innovation Series: Larger Hybrid MP-ASV CSOV for Offshore Wind

Citing strong demand for advanced offshore capabilities, CMB.TECH’s offshore services division Windtech and Damen have unveiled designs for a larger hybrid CSOV (Commissioning Service Operation Vessel). Windtech has ordered one vessel with options for five more. The new Innovation Series class combines expanded open deck space, a subsea crane, and hybrid power for enhanced fuel efficiency.

It builds on the jointly developed Elevation Series CSOVs, currently under construction in Vietnam, with the first introduced in August 2025. “We’re introducing a new vessel type to our fleet and the market, blending the large deck and crane benefits of an MPSV with the comfortable offshore accommodation of an ASV,” said Windcat Managing Director Willem van der Wel.

The new MP-ASVs (Multi-Purpose Accommodation Service Vessels) are larger: 102 meters long (87 m for CSOVs), accommodating 190 people, with at least 28 days endurance. Deck space is 750 m², featuring a 150-tonne subsea crane capable of launching/recovering ROVs.

Like the CSOVs, they integrate low-carbon fuels: a dual-fuel hydrogen engine for the auxiliary genset, a 3981 kWh battery pack on a DC grid for low-emission performance, and peak shaving to optimize variable-speed main engines during DP operations, reducing fuel use.

Additional features include dynamic positioning, azimuth thrusters, fore-and-aft tunnel thrusters for redundancy, and a motion-compensated gangway for secure connections. Damen plans to start construction of the first MP-ASV in February 2026 at Vietnam’s Ha Long Shipyard, with delivery in 2028.

Windcat is expanding: current fleet over 55 CTVs and 1 CSOV, with 6 CTVs, 5 CSOVs, and 1 MP-ASV under construction.