LOTOS Petrobaltic of the ORLEN Group has signed a cooperation agreement with the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for the construction of three vessels intended for the transfer of workers to the area of offshore wind farms (OWE).

The agreement also concerns securing financing for the project. The vessels, to be commissioned between 2025 and 2026, will also be available for installation work and cable laying.

The cooperation relates to crew transfer vessels (CTVs). Under the terms of the agreement, a designated company from the Capital Group of the Industrial Development Agency will solicit bids from shipyards for the construction of 3 such vessels, obtain financing, and then deliver the already completed vessels and hand them over to LOTOS Petrobaltic for bareboat charter (i.e. without crew).

The vessels are to be built by Polish shipyards and designed by a Polish design office based on a technical design provided by LOTOS Petrobaltic. Technical requirements include the ability to transport 24 technicians, a dual-fuel engine, the ability to transport cargo and their own crane. The vessels are to be commissioned between 2025 and 2026 and chartered for maintenance work at offshore wind farms.

LOTOS Petrobaltic has more than 30 years of experience in offshore operations and marine logistics. “We are also active in the offshore wind sector, conducting geotechnical surveys. The signed agreement will allow us to gain additional competencies in the form of providing logistics services for the servicing of offshore wind power plants. The participation of Polish entrepreneurs in this process will contribute to building their position in the global value chain in the offshore wind energy segment”, said Grzegorz Strzelczyk, CEO of LOTOS Petrobaltic.

Adrian Andrzejewski