Page 10: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2025)

INTERVIEW

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) Plows

Forward on O? shore Fleet Renewal

LDA, a 170-year-old French company, announced a ? eet expansion with the order for a series of three next-gen SOVs, a series that will lean on ? ve years of experience operating some of the ? rst Hybrid-Electric SOVs. Gaël Cailleaux, Renewables

General Manager, LDA, discusses the investment and lessons learned.

By Greg Trauthwein journey over the past ? ve years has been pace. Europe’s installed capacity is set to quadruple from

LDA’s marked by signi? cant strategic shifts. Mov- 40GW today to 140GW by 2030, fueling demand for SOVs ing away from its traditional dry bulk transportation division, and Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs). Cailleaux sees this as the company has refocused on specialized industrial services, in- a major growth driver for LDA’s ? eet. “As wind farms move cluding aircraft parts transportation, telecom cable activities and further offshore, the industry will rely more on SOVs than renewable energy support. Today, LDA operates a ? eet of more CTVs,” Cailleaux said. “This aligns well with our expertise. than 100 vessels – 23 under the French ? ag – and employs 3,000 We’re also actively involved in installing inter-array cables, people. “We’ve seen tremendous growth across our core busi- which complements our vessel operations.” nesses,” said Cailleaux. “In transportation and logistics, we’re Beyond ? eet expansion, decarbonization is another pressing set to double our ? eet of RoRo vessels. In submarine cable priority. The maritime industry accounts for [approximately] installation and repair, we’ve added four new vessels since 3% of global CO2 emissions, and LDA is committed to sus- 2019. And in offshore wind, we’ve secured a major contract tainable solutions, exploring full-electric, e-methanol, and oth- with Vattenfall for up to three new SOVs, complementing our er alternative fuels to meet client demands for greener vessels.

existing ? eet serving Orsted.” Among LDA’s most notable projects is the Saint Nazaire A milestone in LDA’s offshore wind ambitions came with Offshore Wind Farm, located 10 nm off the French coast. its recent announcement of a new series of SOVs designed to LDA ? rst secured a contract to install inter-array cables, com- support operations in the North Sea. The company selected Salt pleting the project in 2020-2021. Building on this, the com-

Ship Design as the naval architect and ZPMC shipyard in China pany later won a contract to operate three CTVs for ongoing to construct the vessels. “We’re not newcomers to this mar- maintenance, supporting both General Electric (turbine manu- ket,” Cailleaux said. “Our ? rst SOVs, Wind of Change and facturer) and EDF (wind farm operator). “It was a complex,

Wind of Hope, were launched in 2019 for Ørsted and have multi-phase project that showcased our ability to deliver end- proven to be highly successful, leading to contract extensions. to-end solutions in offshore wind,” Cailleaux said. “It also re-

This experience allowed us to win a competitive bid with Vat- inforced the strong synergy between our divisions.” tenfall, and we’re applying those lessons to re? ne our next- Geopolitical events have added uncertainty to global mar- generation vessels.” kets, but LDA sees offshore wind as a resilient and growing

To that end, the new SOVs will feature enhanced crew com- sector. Through the LDA lens, there are three major markets fort, optimized workspaces for technicians, and cutting-edge today: Europe – The world’s most mature offshore wind mar- energy ef? ciency measures. One of LDA’s key innovations in ket where LDA is “very active”; North America – Political its new SOVs stems from real-world operational data. Hybrid- decisions have slowed this market, but LDA has no exposure; electric propulsion, ? rst introduced in the Wind of Change, and Asia – An interesting market in its infancy. LDA is en- has proven to be a game-changer in reducing fuel consump- gaged and interested to expand here.

tion and emissions. “Geopolitical challenges are actually accelerating offshore “Based on years of operational insights, we’ve made three wind development in Europe, and we’re well-positioned to major improvements,” Cailleaux said. “First, a redesigned bene? t from this growth,” Cailleaux said.

layout for technician work? ow, reducing unnecessary steps LDA’s ambitions received a major boost in February 2024, and improving ef? ciency. Second, optimized electrical sys- when InfraVia acquired an 80% stake in the company, paving tems and energy-ef? cient equipment to cut consumption. And the way for a €1 billion investment over the next several years. third, enhanced seakeeping capabilities for better performance This capital infusion will enable LDA to double its ? eet, ac- in rough waters.” celerate technological innovation, and further its commitment

The offshore wind sector is expanding at an unprecedented to energy transition.

10 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • April 2025

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