Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) has launched construction of the US offshore wind industry’s first ever mini-crew transfer vessel (CTV).
The offshore vessel operator, builder, and owner said the unit designed by UK-based Chartwell Marine is set to enter service in summer 2024 for Ørsted and its US-based joint venture partner, Eversource Energy.
The mini-CTV or the so-called daughter craft will be built at Edison Chouest’s Louisiana shipyard and simultaneously accompany the launch of ECO Edison, the first ever American-built service operation vessel (SOV).
The 12-m-long unit onboard the SOV can be deployed to manoeuvre up to 12 personnel across the Revolution Wind, South Fork Wind, and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms in the Northeast US, under development by the joint venture, ECO said.
“As we look to further expand our fleet and activate it across a growing number of offshore wind projects, maintaining the efficiency of our transfers and our high level of technical availability will be key. Diversifying the range of vessels we use is one of the ways we can achieve that, but making sure they’re best-in-class is equally important,” stated Michael Braid, vice president of renewables at ECO.
Chartwell worked with Ørsted throughout the design process and conducted model testing in January 2023 to simulate and adapt to the specifications of the wind turbines that will be installed at the Northeast US project sites. The design is said to respond to the increasing demand in the US offshore wind market for low-emissions, cost-effective support vessels, with the catamaran’s optimised hull form offering efficient fuel use as well as stability and manoeuvrability.
“This vessel is the small but essential chain connecting SOVs and turbines together. Engineers need to safely transition from larger vessels to turbines quickly and safely, and we set out to design an agile and streamlined vessel that has both bases covered, said Andy Page, managing director of Chartwell, adding: “But it’s not a one-size-fits-all — turbines come in different configurations, with different requirements for effective crew transfer. That’s why we collaborated with Ørsted to thoroughly test and tweak our design to the joint venture portfolio’s particular needs.”
