North Star, ScottishPower Renewables and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy have launched a competition for local people in East Anglia to complete the name for a new ship bound for the East Anglia THREE windfarm, located off the Suffolk coast.
The North Star high specification hybrid-powered service operation vessel (SOV) will accommodate up to 60 of Siemens Gamesa’s wind technicians as they work offshore maintaining all 95 wind turbines at the East Anglia Hub development.
This is one of five SOVs North Star currently has under construction for the offshore wind sector, having already delivered its first three: the Grampian Tyne, Grampian Derwent and Grampian Tees.
The new East Anglia THREE vessel will also carry the ‘Grampian’ first name as homage to the UK’s leading SOV operator’s Aberdeen heritage, where it was established 137 years ago.
The three businesses are now turning to local people and communities to find a winning suggestion for the second part of the ship’s name which acknowledges East Anglia’s rich maritime heritage or its local community.
North Star COO Robert Catchpole, based in Lowestoft, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for local schools and individuals to get involved in naming the latest addition to our fleet, which will play a crucial role in maintaining and servicing East Anglia THREE for the next decade. This high-performance SOV has been designed to provide ultimate comfort for our client’s offshore team and serve as a logistics base to support their in-field operations.
“The winner will be invited on board one of our existing SOVs to see firsthand the superior craftsmanship and innovative technologies embedded in our designs. They will also be presented with a special scale model of the new ship bearing its new name. We look forward to seeing the creative suggestions that celebrate our local maritime heritage and community.”
North Star has a workforce of 1,400 seafarers and onshore personnel across its facilities in Lowestoft, Newcastle and Aberdeen. To support the new East Anglia THREE ship, the firm has plans to recruit around 40 crew, as well as increasing its headcount in Lowestoft and engage further with the local supply chain.
The new SOV is due to be delivered to Siemens Gamesa to commence operations for ScottishPower Renewables’ East Anglia THREE development in late 2026. Once operational, it will be the second largest offshore windfarm in the world, supplying enough green electricity to power the equivalent of more than 1.3 million homes.
