Bibby Marine has launched its newbuild, the Staffordshire eCSOV, at Armon Shipyard in Vigo, Spain. The electric commissioning service operation vessel went afloat on 10 October 2026, with delivery scheduled for 2027.
The vessel is designed to draw its main power from batteries. Energy storage is central to the propulsion arrangement, rather than providing assistance to a conventional system.
Kongsberg is involved in the propulsion system, while Corvus Energy is working on the batteries. Bibby Marine is also collaborating with Stillstrom to enable compatibility with offshore charging.
In its launch announcement, Bibby Marine estimated that operating costs could fall by over 40% in self-charging mode. The company put the potential reduction at approximately 70% when the vessel can rely entirely on offshore charging.
Battery installation and other outfitting work will continue at the yard before handover. A formal naming ceremony is planned for 2027, when the vessel will receive the name Staffordshire.
The project has received £20 million under the UK’s Zero Emission Vessels and Infrastructure (ZEVI) programme.
The newbuild will be the fifth Bibby vessel named Staffordshire, following predecessors dating from 1894, 1929, 1950 and 1977. The launch brought together the Bibby family, project participants and delegates from Bibby Line Group.
