Enhancing the offshore wind sector with 
11 Ulstein designed vessels under construction. 

Trawling has always presented some challenges. The award-winning ECOFIVE solution from Bluewild is an ambitious venture that maintains high catch quality and is now being realised in a factory trawler developed by Ulstein Design & Solutions. An explanatory animation in this article describes the catch solution.

To answer the future need for more innovative and greener supply tonnage, we have applied our holistic design mindset to find the sweet spots between necessary capacities and reduced emissions. This led us to develop our first full-electric supply vessel for the offshore energy market.

Ulstein started to develop vessels for the offshore oil & gas industry in the 1970s, and dedicated vessels for the offshore wind industry after 2000. The next-generation offshore energy vessels must be flexible and able to work year-round, and we will see several crossover vessels for these two markets.

There is a large potential in the conversion of an offshore vessel: By redesigning it to another assignment or a whole new market the operational lifetime is prolonged, it is returned to the owner in a shorter time than waiting for a newbuild, and the CO2 emission savings are substantial when upgrading existing tonnage

Offering a unique experience is key when you want to set yourself apart in the travelling industry.

Motorbiker. Hard rock musician. Drone pilot. Father and boyfriend. He enjoys good food and loves to be with friends. These are some of the passions nurtured by Matthias Giebichenstein every four weeks. The other four? At sea, offshore, another world. The only joint keyword is food. That’s important, food – and comfort.

After decades working for the company, Captain Leif Skog is an institution in Lindblad Expeditions. He has sailed several trips on the 'National Geographic Endurance' and he shares his experience: - the X-BOW® is a new design in cruise, but I was not in doubt that this bow would be just the right solution for us.

Ulstein’s announcement of a Thorium-powered ship created massive interest in the market. As shipbuilders and designers, we are looking to take this concept from the drawing board to the deep blue sea. Is this the solution that industry, and society, have been searching for to enable a truly sustainable maritime future?

The maritime industry has a goal to reduce emissions, with targets of 40% by 2030 and 70% by 2050, settled by IMO. The cruise vessels need to play a role in the future greener shipping. Ulstein now proposes a cruise concept prepared for a stepwise transition towards zero-emission operations.

There is a shortage of specialised heavy lift vessels needed to install the increasing number of larger, next generation wind turbines. This jeopardises the offshore wind farm realisations. The proven, off-the-shelf heavy lift vessel designs from Ulstein can help to close the foundation installation gap.

ECOFIVE is a concept for fishing vessels where the goal is to utilise 100 per cent of the catch, minimise quality losses during handling and reduce energy consumption. Bluewild’s next factory trawler will be the first fishing vessel to use ECOFIVE with, a.o., a newly developed method for taking the catch onboard.

Bluewild's new trawler will primarily be used for shrimp and whitefish trawling. Ulstein has developed a battery hybrid propulsion solution that is expected to provide large reductions in diesel consumption and emissions. This is solved by improving the efficiency of a wide range of power requirements.

On-time delivery is often underestimated when evaluating vessel newbuilding projects. Delayed deliveries can represent an additional cost that can be as high as the original, newbuilt price of the vessel. The Norway-based shipyard, Ulstein Verft, is reputed for its precise deliveries. What do they do to achieve this?

"Yesterday, in Lallemand Fjord, the fast ice edge was packed with ice. We had to go deep in for an ice landing. It felt like a 'Shackleton experience' surrounded by ice. It was probably one of the most stunning ice walk experiences in my life. After dinner, I married a couple under the bow of the ship."