Rhode Island-based offshore wind farm crew transfer vessel company Atlantic Wind Transfers has ordered six crew transfer vessels to be built at St. Johns Ship Building in Palatka, Fla.
The first two vessels, of the Chartwell Ambitious-class design, are expected to be delivered in the summer of 2023 and January 2024, with four further builds in the pipeline. The 25.2-meter aluminum catamarans will each have capacity to transport 24 personnel to and from turbines.
Charles A. Donadio, Jr., founder of AWT, said, "We're pleased to strengthen our pioneering status in delivering another first for the U.S. offshore wind sector with these new [EPA] Tier 4 vessel orders.
"Our goal is to build the most reliable, multipurpose Jones-Act CTV fleet in the U.S., and provide our clients with cutting-edge technology while lowering our carbon footprint and meeting all Jones Act and USCG regulations. This investment will enable AWT to have crew transfer vessels available for charter to support the demand over the next several years."
In May 2020, Atlantic Wind Transfers secured its second long-term O&M crew transfer vessel (CTV) contract in the U.S. to provide offshore marine support services for the Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbines to be installed for the first offshore wind project in U.S. federal waters. The project is being developed by Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Energy.