North Star has officially named and handed over its latest service operations vessel (SOV), the Grampian Tweed, completing the company’s fleet of dedicated ships serving the Dogger Bank Wind Farm on long-term charter. This milestone event reflects the organisation’s ongoing commitment to the delivery of high-quality offshore support tonnage for the renewables sector and marks the latest chapter in its successful partnership with Equinor, SSE Renewables and Vårgrønn.
The Grampian Tweed is the fourth SOV introduced ahead of schedule to support the Dogger Bank Wind Farm, a key renewables project located in the North Sea. This achievement builds on the strong foundation of collaboration, innovation, and shared expertise throughout North Star’s supply chain, with all four hybrid-powered ships designed to provide crucial logistical and safety support for the maintenance and operation of the wind farm.
“The naming of the Grampian Tweed is a proud moment for all of us across the business,” said Gitte Gard Talmo, CEO of North Star. “Our in-house teams have worked tirelessly to ensure that this SOV, alongside its sister vessels, meets the highest standards of safety, efficiency, and environmental responsibility. The early handover of all these ships not only reinforces our partnership with Equinor and SSE Renewables but also strengthening our role in the transition to a greener, more sustainable energy future.
The Grampian Tweed’s naming ceremony, held at Associated British Ports (ABP) new Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility, was attended by representatives from North Star, Equinor, SSE Renewables, and local stakeholders. The ceremony was a celebration of the successful partnership between all parties involved and a recognition of the hard work that went into bringing the asset to life.
Emma Sayer, the Grampian Tweed’s godmother has been a valued member of North Star’s crewing team in Lowestoft for over 16 years. She played a key role in the naming ceremony which also featured a blessing from Rev. Peter Paine and speeches from Julian Walker, CCO & regional director of ABP, and Kamala Hajiyeva, VP & head of the Dogger Bank Development.
Mobilised and prepared through North Star’s Lowestoft operations team, the Grampian Tweed demonstrates the powerful heritage and supply chain present in the region. With local experts Alicat Workboats in Great Yarmouth delivering all four daughter craft which support SOV operations out in field, and in recognition of the successful collaborative build plan, Debbie Coote, wife of the marine and engineering specialist ’s General Manager Simon Coote, was named as godmother of the Rachel Parsons daughter craft during the event.
Kamala Hajiyeva, VP and head of Dogger Bank Wind Farm development said: “With the arrival of the Grampian Tweed SOV, we celebrate the last of four vessels delivered to the project. The Grampian Tweed also provides a best-in-class working and living environment for our offshore wind technicians and team members, ensuring they can carry out essential maintenance safely and comfortably. The vessel’s advanced features will also provide essential services to the operations and maintenance of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, which will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm.”
Once complete, Dogger Bank will become the largest offshore wind farm in the world, with 3.6GW of generating capacity, enough to power up to six million homes annually. The addition of the Grampian Tweed to the fleet highlights the crucial role that North Star and its vessels play in supporting the continued development and success of the wind farm.
SSE Renewables Project Director for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, Olly Cass, said: “Congratulations to the team at North Star for achieving another significant milestone for our pioneering project. Today’s ceremony takes place in the region where our hybrid-powered daughter craft were built, once again demonstrating the huge amount of UK skills and expertise involved in delivering and operating the world’s largest offshore wind farm.”
Over the past three years, North Star has invested £270m and placed 160 experienced seafarers to support its Dogger Bank tonnage and will recruit a further 160 seafarers for its expanding SOV fleet in the next three years to meet current contract charter commitments.
The Dogger Bank fleet delivery success has also informed North Star’s other newbuild programmes underway, including its first two commissioning SOVs set to go to work this summer, as well as an SOV for the East Anglia Three development, and another for EnBW’s He Dreiht wind farm off the coast of Germany.
About North Star:
North Star is the market leading UK provider of mission critical, offshore infrastructure support services to offshore wind and offshore oil and gas markets.
The firm has bases in Aberdeen, Lowestoft and Newcastle and Hamburg, and has a workforce of 1,400 seafarers and onshore personnel. It has been supporting the energy sector for the past four decades. It has eight Service Operations Vessels (SOV) fleet built or under construction to support the growing European offshore wind market. Its fleet also includes 42 assets providing continuous around the clock support services to more than 50 North Sea installations.
The 137-year-old business, which was originally established to support the fisheries industry, is also the country’s largest employer of offshore cadets. Since 1996, it has trained hundreds of future deck and engineering trainees, investing £1million annually on average to develop the next generation.
By combining safety, service and quality, the company delivers exceptional levels of support to its clients in one of world’s most challenging and demanding industries.
About Dogger Bank:
The 3.6 GW Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed. It is being built in three 1.2 GW phases: Dogger Bank A, B and C.
The project is a joint venture between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn.
SSE Renewables is lead operator for the development and construction of Dogger Bank Wind Farm. Equinor will be lead operator of the wind farm on completion for its expected operational life of around 35 years. Vårgrønn (controlled by ENI) provides specialist offshore wind expertise to the project.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is located in the North Sea, with each phase more than 130km from the Yorkshire Coast.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm is fully committed to supporting the UK offshore wind supply chain. To date it is estimated that more than 2,000 UK roles have been created or supported in relation to the construction and operation of the wind farm.
