Five years ago, Atlantic Wind Transfers built the first crew transfer vessel (CTV) in the United States specifically designed to service offshore wind turbines. This fall, the company led by Rhode Island businessman Charles Donadio, Jr., is adding a second CTV to the fleet.
The 64.5-foot aluminum catamaran Atlantic Endeavor is an updated sibling to the 62-foot Atlantic Pioneer built in 2015. Naval architect Andy Page, now of Chartwell Marine in Hampshire, England, designed the two vessels. Blount Boats in Warren, R.I., built both.
Atlantic Endeavor will work under contract with utility company Dominion Energy, supporting the operation and maintenance of Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW). The project consists of two 6 MW Siemens turbines installed in federal waters almost 27 miles offshore Virginia Beach.
Atlantic Pioneer, meanwhile, works under contract with Orsted on the trailblazing Block Island Wind Farm just a few miles southeast of Block Island. The five-turbine project completed in late 2016 generates enough power for about 17,000 homes.
Like its predecessor, Atlantic Endeavor is designed for one specific function: carrying technicians to and from the offshore turbines, and facilitating safe transfers from the vessels to the turbine foundations.
“Atlantic Endeavor is the latest evolution of crew transfer vessels in the world,” Donadio said in a recent interview. “There is seating for 24 technicians and … all the amenities to provide a business-class ride for the technicians going back and forth to the wind farm.”
Propulsion on the new CTV comes from MAN engines paired with HamiltonJet waterjets through ZF gears. Auxiliary power will come from Cummins gensets. The service speed is between 22 to 24 knots, with a sprint speed approaching 29 knots with a full load of passengers and deck cargo.
Atlantic Endeavor is scheduled for completion in November, at which point it will head straight to Virginia to begin its contract with Dominion Energy.
