Bartolomej Tomic is managing editor of Offshore Engineer....
Florida-based St Johns Shipbuilding has started construction of a Jones Act-compliant crew transfer vessel which will serve the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm in the U.S. Atlantic.
The shipyard informed of the keel laying ceremony for the Incat Crowther 30 design crew transfer vessel on Thursday via social media. An image shared to accompany the post shows the ceremony was held on June 30.
"We could not be happier to have Hornblower and their partners return to St Johns Shipbuilding to build the vessels that will help America move closer towards energy independence and a cleaner, healthier environment for generations to come," the shipyard said in a social media post.
The vessel will be 30 meters long and will have a large foredeck with a 23 t.m knuckle boom crane and container securing lugs.
The vessel will be propelled by quad Volvo IPS propulsion units driven by Volvo DI13 main engines and will be hybrid-ready.
The CTV, which will be able to carry 24 technicians and six crew members, is scheduled to be delivered in 2023 and will go immediately into service for GE Renewables. The vessels will first operate out of New Bedford, MA, during the Vineyard Wind I construction period.
Located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Vineyard Wind 1 will be the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm in the United States. With a generating capacity of 800 megawatts (MW), the project will provide electricity to more than 400,000 homes.
SPECIFICATIONS - 30m CATAMARAN HYBRID-READY CTV
PRINCIPAL DIMENSIONS Length Overall 98’ 5” / 30.0m Length Waterline 91’ 6” / 27.9m Beam Overall 32’ 10” / 10.0m Draft (hull) 4’ 7” / 1.4m Draft (max) 5’ 6” / 1.7m Depth 14’ 5” / 4.4m Construction Marine grade aluminium
Fuel Oil 9,510 gallons / 36,000 litres Fresh Water 925 gallons / 3,500 litres Sullage 660 gallons / 2,500 litres
Speed (Service) 26 knots Speed (Max) 29 knots Main Engines 4 x Volvo D13 Power 4 x 515 kW @ 2,250rpm Propulsion 4 x Volvo IPS 30 Generators 2 x 40kW
REGULATORY Flag USCG CFR 46 Subchapter L Class Bureau Veritas