Incat Crowther has won the contract for a pair of hybrid catamaran crew transfer vessels, designed together with Danish offshore crew transfer company MHO-Co. Once delivered, the vessels will service an Ørsted wind farm in the North Sea.
The Incat Crowther 35s will use modern electric motors to save on weight, space, and emissions for the benefit of the environment as well as fuel economy in the offshore wind industry, Incat Crowther said.
The vessels will use a combination of direct drive and electric propulsion for maximum flexibility and significant redundancy, the company said.
"Reductions in emissions will be seen across a range of operating modes, including a zero-emission mode. The newly developed hybrid propulsion packages are designed in a way which enables them to be adapted at a later state to future eco-friendly power generation technologies such as hydrogen," Incat Crowther said.
Under construction at AFAI Southern Shipyard, the vessels will enter service in mid-2021, operating under contract with Ørsted, where they are scheduled to transport technicians and equipment to the offshore wind farm Hornsea 2 in the North Sea.
“Designing and building hybrid CTVs is a huge step in the environmental direction, and I am proud that we at MHO-Co have found partners who share our vision for sustainable development in the offshore industry. With these new vessels we still offer some of the largest and most reliable CTVs in the world, and they can be converted to future technologies”, says MHO-Co CEO and founder, Mik Henriksen.
MHO-Co has partnered with Incat Crowther to develop the new generation of vessels, following the success of MHO Gurli and MHO Esbjerg.
Ed Dudson, Managing Director of Incat Crowther Europe says: “MHO-Co always push the boundaries when it comes to new vessels in the Offshore Wind Industry. These new 35m vessels are no different. It’s great to be working with Mik and his team again on the latest project, which will really bring hybrid technology to the fore.”
The vessels’ propulsion systems will be installed by Danfoss’ Editron, consisting of permanently magnetized electric motors that save both weight and space on the CTV while consuming less fuel and giving higher efficiency, Incat said.