Palatka, Fla. shipyard St. Johns Ship Building announced it has delivered WINDEA Courageous, the first of three Jones Act compliant crew transfer vessels (CTV) ordered by WINDEA CTV, a partnership between Hornblower Wind and MidOcean Wind.
The 30-meter-long WINDEA Courageous and its sister vessels are designed by Incat Crowther and each have capacity to carry 24 technicians, plus six crew. The Bureau Veritas-classed vessels will be propelled by quad Volvo IPS propulsion units driven by Volvo DI13 main engines. The vessels have been described as "hybrid-ready", meaning they are being built with space to accommodate retrofitted equipment for hybrid electric propulsion in the future.
Chartered to support GE Renewables at the Vineyard Wind 1 wind farm located 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard, WINDEA Courageous is already on site in New Bedford, Mass., supporting project construction.
For St Johns Ship Building, the construction of this CTV series signals the official launch of its new focus on dedicated high-speed aluminum vessel production, the company said. St Johns Ship Building over the past few years has made multiple facility modifications and acquired new production equipment in an effort to gear up to build vessels for servicing the emerging U.S. offshore wind industry.
WINDEA's initial order with St Johns was for two CTVs, and it ordered a third in 2023. The shipbuilder is also constructing two Chartwell Marine designed 24.8-meter CTVs for Atlantic Wind Transfers, the first of which—Atlantic Resolute—is scheduled to be delivered in the first quarter of 2024. AWT also has options for up to four additional vessels.
“This delivery marks a proud moment of validation,” said Ed Sheets, executive vice president and director of business strategy for Americraft Marine Group, the parent company of St Johns Ship Building. “The WINDEA Courageous is a statement vessel for St Johns Ship Building and marks the first measurable accomplishment in what has been a two-year effort to convert the facility and its many talented and hard working personnel from a history in building primarily steel vessels, to constructing advanced design, high speed, aluminum vessels. To say we are simply proud of the accomplishment doesn’t do justice to the hard work and sacrifice of the SJSB team. They have all risen to the many challenges we have faced during this transition and at the same time, have raised the bar in this industry segment itself.”
Junior Volpe, SVP of vessel construction and repair at Hornblower Group, said, “St. John's Ship Building achieved a significant milestone with the successful construction and delivery of this WINDEA CTV LLC crew transfer vessel. Their dedicated efforts and expertise ensured the completion of the project with precision and adherence to quality standards.”