Norway’s Eidesvik Offshore has widened its reach in renewables through a five-year deal with Dutch contractor and shipowner Van Oord.

The Oslo-listed owner said Van Oord’s offshore wind unit has chartered the 103-loa multipurpose support ship Subsea Viking (built 1999) from the first quarter of 2023.

There are further options to extend the deal.

And Eidesvik told TradeWinds that Van Oord has a call option to buy the vessel after the first five years.

The expanding renewables industry is a strategically important market for Eidesvik, the company explained.

The long-term deal means a “substantial” part of the owner’s contracted backlog will now be related to this sector.

“We are very pleased with this contract award by Van Oord, a leading international player in the offshore wind market,” said Eidesvik chief executive Gitte Gard Talmo.

“It is a great fit with our strategy, as it will expand Eidesvik’s presence in the renewables market. We look forward to building a strong and long-standing relationship with this important new client,” she added.

The ship will be deployed at various Van Oord projects as a trenching support vessel.

The Subsea Viking will be the main platform for the Van Oord trencher Dig-It, according to Arnoud Kuis, managing director of offshore wind at Van Oord.

The Dig-It is a huge remotely operated trenching machine designed for TenneT’s Hollandse Kust (South) offshore grid in the Netherlands.

Four cables were routed into the North Sea seabed for this. They had to be buried more than five metres down, 10 km offshore.