Restructured Norwegian shipbuilder Green Yard Kleven (GYK) has won a vital new order for an offshore wind vessel.
Private domestic owner Rem Offshore has signed a contract with the Ulsteinvik plant for a construction service ship.
The unit has been designed by Havyard Design & Solutions and work will start immediately.
Delivery is set for the last quarter of 2021, but no price has been revealed.
The vessel is being tailored to operate at offshore wind farms.
Bought out of restructuring
The former Kleven Verft filed for bankruptcy restructuring in the summer under the ownership of Croatia's DIV Group.
But compatriot ship recycler Green Yard bought the company after a deal was reached with its trustee and banks who had pulled the plug on the company in June.
"We thank Rem Offshore for the trust," GYK chief executive Kjetil Bollestad.
"We have an exciting and very good collaboration with Rem Offshore this autumn to put this contract in place."
The 90-metre ship will feature three cranes and house 99 workers.
There is a large cargo deck and storage for spare parts and containers under the deck.
The vessel will be prepared for zero-emission operation with fuel cells and a battery pack of 12,000 kWh.
Uncertain time
Offshore vessel owner Rem Offshore is led by Age and Fredrik Remoy, who said: "It is particularly gratifying for Rem Offshore to be able to return to Kleven with a newbuilding order, especially at a time that has been marked by uncertainty for the entire local community.
"This contract shows how adaptable the maritime cluster on Sunnmore is. For us as a crew, this is the first newbuilding contract within offshore wind."
Hans Jorgen Fedog, CEO of Green Yard Group, said the project fitted perfectly into its strategy of being the greenest alternative in the industry.
"We think it is particularly impressive that this newbuilding will contribute to a local nest towards the new green offshore wind market," he added.
