(NEW BEDFORD, Mass.) — Windea CTV LLC, a U.S. operator of offshore wind crew transfer vessels, announced Tuesday that it has commenced construction of three 98-foot hybrid ready CTVs.
Two of the Incat Crowther-designed CTVs will be constructed at St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Fla., and one will be built at Gulf Craft in Franklin, La. The vessels are scheduled to be delivered in 2023 and will go immediately into service for GE Renewables. The vessels will first operate out of New Bedford, Mass., during the Vineyard Wind I construction period.
“In collaboration with our operating partner Hornblower, we are pleased to be working with Incat Crowther and the shipyards to construct the first vessels of our CTV fleet in the U.S.,” Bradley Neuberth, managing partner of Windea CTV and owner of MidOcean Wind, said in a prepared statement. “These three CTVs represent the first wave of our fleet which we have been developing since 2019 with our European partners. We are excited to bring this safe, reliable and efficient service to the market next year.”
Windea CTV is part of the Windea Offshore USA consortium, focused on serving the various maritime needs of offshore windfarm developers, installers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the U.S. In addition to CTVs, the Windea Offshore USA consortium offers solutions for service operation vessels (SOVs), feeder vessels, rockfall vessels, onshore terminal operations, and other ancillary services required to build and maintain offshore wind farms. It is comprised of U.S. operators as well as European operators that bring their experience and knowledge to the U.S. market.
The Windea CTV fleet is owned and operated by MidOcean Wind LLC and Hornblower Wind LLC, a member of Hornblower Group, with technical and operational support from Windea Offshore shareholder Ems Maritime Offshore GmbH, which operates a fleet of CTVs in the European market with more than 10 years of experience.
MidOcean brings a 40-plus-year track record of U.S. Jones Act shipowning in various vessel classes. Hornblower’s global footprint includes operating more than 150 vessels on the Northeast coast and providing full value-chain marine services, including design, build, delivery, maintenance and operations services for clients across government, municipal, military and private sectors.
This partnership is well positioned to build and operate a large fleet of CTVs that will be needed to serve the ongoing, rapid expansion of offshore wind power in the Northeast and across the United States.
— City Experiences/Hornblower
