U.S. offshore wind farm developer Mayflower Wind announced Thursday that it has signed an agreement with Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding/Duclos Corporation of Somerset, Mass. for the specification, design and manufacture of a Jones Act-compliant, hybrid battery diesel electric crew transfer vessel (CTV).
The design utilizes technologies that will provide significant fuel savings and emissions reductions, including the use of lithium-Ion battery energy storage to create a hybrid vessel that will be a bridge to full electrification. The multi-party agreement includes other collaborators from across the globe, including naval architects Incat Crowther and BAR Technologies, battery supplier Corvus Energy and classification society ABS and will proceed if Mayflower is awarded a contract under the latest Massachusetts procurement for offshore wind.
“Mayflower Wind aims to develop the most innovative, fuel-efficient CTV built in the United States,” said Michael Brown, CEO of Mayflower Wind. “Ensuring that this vessel is constructed at a shipyard in Somerset is a big boost to the Massachusetts maritime economy and launches this shipyard toward a new and growing market.”
Peter Duclos, president of Gladding-Hearn said the project has the potential to create new jobs at his company over the next 24-36 months, “We are excited about the possibility of working with Mayflower Wind,” he said. “They want to raise the bar of CTV design and have assembled an experienced team to do just that.”
Duclos noted that his firm has seen the promise of the offshore wind market over the past 10 plus years and that the timing of this opportunity is perfect given the pandemic’s negative effect on the new vessel construction market. “With our location and experienced team at Gladding-Hearn, we are ready to serve the offshore wind market. We’ve been working to make it happen since the early days of Cape Wind. We’re glad to finally see it come to fruition with Mayflower Wind,” Duclos added.
Brown noted that by encouraging local shipyards such as Gladding-Hearn to establish themselves as shipbuilders for the offshore wind industry, Mayflower Wind is working to foster a local maritime supply chain. Brown emphasized, “This is not just an agreement with a local shipyard – it is integration of that shipyard into a collaboration with the most sophisticated and capable technology providers and designers in the world, moving this key local supplier to the forefront of its industry and setting them in a position to compete successfully on the global stage.”
“This is exactly the kind of tangible, real and local economic development that the legislature was shooting for when we enacted the law creating the market for offshore wind power here in Massachusetts,” said Massachusetts Representative Patricia Haddad (D-Somerset) adding, “Not only will this project provide vital work for a critical local business it will position Gladding-Hearn to successfully compete for future jobs by establishing them as a technology leader.”
“The transition to a clean energy economy provides a unique opportunity to build a new advanced marine manufacturing sector and this project grabs that opportunity with both hands,” said U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss, “Harnessing the power of established and expert local businesses like Gladding-Hearn, large renewable energy developers like Mayflower Wind, and the technology partners that have come together here, will build local prosperity in Somerset while helping to reach our national climate protection and clean energy goals.”
Incat Crowther is the designer of the vessel, which will be based upon one of its CTVs already in service in Europe and customized to suit local requirements. ABS is on board to provide design review for approval in principle, verification of applicable rules, standards and U.S. Coast Guard regulations, and classification of the CTV. BAR Technologies brings its foil optimized stability system for fuel savings and reduced vertical accelerations for improved safety and comfort, as well as its advanced computational fluid dynamics modelling and simulation that can optimize the hull and foils to reduce the drag and increase fuel efficiency. Corvus is supplier of its onboard battery energy storage solution to enable efficient lower emissions operations.
Design of the vessel would occur during 2022-2023, setting the stage for building and launching the hybrid CTV in the mid 2020s, timing that would fit well with the start of operation of wind turbines by Mayflower Wind.