UK-based Purus formally named their recently delivered commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) Purus Chinook in London. Built by Vard at its Romania and Norway facilities, the new ship was delivered to UK-based Purus in May 2025.
Purus Chinook was designed by Vard Design in collaboration with Purus to make it suitable for supporting activities in the offshore wind industry. The vessel’s hull was constructed at Vard Shipyards Romania (formerly Vard Tulcea), and the final outfitting and commissioning were completed at Vard Søviknes in Norway.
The design work on the CSOV was completed in compliance with DNV requirements, including the COMF C2 V1 class notation for climate, noise and vibration. This ensures optimal onboard temperature regulation, reduced noise and vibration throughout the vessel, directly supporting crew welfare and long-term performance.
The vessel measures 87.7m (288ft) by 19.5m (64ft), and has a maximum draught of 5.6m (18ft), and a gross tonnage of 6,217. The working deck has a total area of 410 square metres (4,410 square feet) for the transport of seven 20-foot containers or an equivalent volume of cargo. Warehouse facilities with a total area of 370 square metres (4,000 square feet) are also available.
The CSOV boasts excellent seakeeping and fuel efficiency with a modern hull; a layout that guaranteed operability, logistics flow and crew comfort; and an optimised hybrid propulsion system that includes four Yanmar 1,370kW diesel generators and a Vard Electro 744kWh battery pack to allow zero-emission operation for extended periods.
The propulsion system can be configured in the future to enable operation on methanol to further reduce emissions. The propulsion drives two 1,800kW aft thrusters to deliver a speed of 13 knots.
Two 1,200kW azimuthing thrusters and a 1,200kW tunnel thruster are fitted near the bow and provide additional lateral manoeuvrability for berthing/unberthing, positioning, and navigating in port waters.
Photo by Fraser Gray
