US offshore wind developer Mayflower Wind has lined up an order for a hybrid crew transfer vessel (CTV).
The Boston-based company — a joint venture between Shell New Energies and Ocean Winds —picked Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding of Somerset, Massachusetts, to construct the Jones Act vessel, which will use battery-diesel propulsion.
It describes the ship as "world-class", providing significant fuel savings and emissions reductions, using lithium ion battery energy storage as a bridge to full electrification.
The multi-party agreement includes partnerships with shipbuilder Incat Crowther in Louisiana, BAR Technologies in the UK, Norway's Corvus Energy and the American Bureau of Shipping classification society.
The vessel project will be confirmed if Mayflower is awarded a contract under the latest Massachusetts offshore wind procurement round.
"Mayflower Wind aims to develop the most innovative, fuel-efficient CTV built in the US," said chief executive Michael Brown.
"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."
Gladding-Hearn is a small shipbuilder that in its 66-year history has constructed more than 430 vessels, including those used for ferry services in New York and Boston.
Peter Duclos, the yard's president, said this project has the potential to create jobs at his company over the next two to three years.
"We are excited about the possibility of working with Mayflower Wind," he added. "They want to raise the bar of CTV design and have assembled an experienced team to do just that."
Duclos believes the growth of the offshore wind market is perfectly timed, given the pandemic's negative effect on the newbuilding market.
Incat Crowther is designing the vessel, which will be based on one of its CTVs already in service in Europe, customised to suit local requirements.
BAR is bringing its foil-optimised stability system for fuel savings.
Development of the ship will take place next year and in 2023, with construction planned for the middle of the decade.
Mayflower Wind wants to establish a wind farm that will supply more than 2 gigawatts of energy to customers in New England.
