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Bernhard Schulte Offshore has taken delivery of the ‘Windea Carnot’, a Commissioning Service Operation Vessel built at Ulstein Verft in Norway, bringing the Hamburg-based offshore specialist’s fleet to six purpose-built vessels serving the global offshore energy sector.
The handover, which followed the vessel’s christening on 6 March 2026, marks the completion of a three-ship series ordered from Ulstein on behalf of an institutional investor. BSO integrated the first two sister ships, ‘Windea Curie’ and ‘Windea Clausius’, into its fleet from mid-2025 onward.
Third Sister Completes a Purpose-Built Trio
The ‘Windea Carnot’ is the final vessel in a sequence of three identical sister ships constructed at the Norwegian yard, all now operating under the BSO flag. The addition brings the operator’s total fleet to six specialised offshore vessels at a time when demand for crew transfer and construction support tonnage in offshore wind is growing steadily across European and international markets.
Matthias Müller, Managing Director at Bernhard Schulte Offshore, described the vessel’s reception in the market as positive. “The offshore market offers promising prospects. Therefore, we are pleased to have added ‘Windea Carnot’ to our portfolio,” Müller said. “The Ulstein design, characterised by reliability, flexibility and innovative features, is very well received by the offshore industry.”
Design Features Targeting Safety and Lower Emissions
The CSOV incorporates Ulstein’s TWIN X-STERN configuration, a stern arrangement that improves vessel manoeuvrability, reduces motion in open water, and lowers fuel consumption compared to conventional designs. These characteristics are considered commercially significant for operators bidding on long-term contracts in offshore wind, where vessel uptime and day rate competitiveness depend heavily on operational reliability in variable sea states.
The vessel runs on hybrid battery propulsion and has been prepared for future methanol fuel use, positioning it for compliance with tightening emissions standards under frameworks such as the International Maritime Organization’s Carbon Intensity Indicator regime. The design is certified for both operations and maintenance work and construction support, giving charterers flexibility in deployment.
Accommodation is provided for up to 90 offshore personnel in single cabins. A centrally positioned, height-adjustable walk-to-work gangway combined with an elevator tower enables safe transfers of both people and cargo to fixed or floating offshore structures. A 3D motion-compensated crane rated at up to 5 tonnes supports cargo handling, while a height-adjustable boat landing system allows stepless transfers between the CSOV and smaller crew transfer vessels, a feature considered critical for safe operations inside operating offshore wind farms.
The vessel also carries a helideck rated for helicopters with a maximum takeoff weight of up to 8.6 tonnes, extending its logistical range for personnel movements in remote or weather-constrained locations.
Named for a Founding Figure of Thermodynamics
The ‘Windea Carnot’ takes its name from Nicolas Léonard Sadi Carnot, the 19th-century French physicist and engineer widely credited as the founder of thermodynamics. The naming follows the pattern set by its sister vessels, ‘Windea Curie’ and ‘Windea Clausius’, both named after scientists whose work underpins modern energy and thermal science, fields directly relevant to the energy transition work the vessels are designed to support.
BSO has not disclosed the charter status of the ‘Windea Carnot’ or the financial terms of the newbuilding program.
