Renewable energy developer Vineyard Wind has forged charter deals with two US shipowners for crew transfer vessels (CTV) to be constructed at domestic shipyards.
The Jones Act-qualified CTVs will serve the company’s offshore wind project planned for the waters off Massachusetts on the US East Coast.
The charters mark a key step for meeting the vessel needs of the burgeoning offshore wind sector in the US, where US President Joe Biden is aiming to have 30 GW of clean energy operational by 2030.
Patriot Offshore Maritime Services, a Massachusetts-based company, will build a 27-metre CTV at Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, an aluminium boat builder also located in the state.
The vessel’s catamaran design by Incat Crowther will accommodate 24 passengers. The vessel will be delivered in the middle of next year.
Vineyard also has an option to charter additional CTVs from Patriot.
“We are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship,” said Michael Landry, president of Patriot.
The company also signed a charter deal with American Offshore Services for a CTV that will be built at Rhode Island’s Blount Boats.
Vineyard, a joint venture of Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, is developing the US’s first large-scale offshore farm.
The developer touted the Patriot charter deal’s local content boost.
“We are excited to have a Massachusetts company like Patriot on the Vineyard team and proud to support local jobs in Massachusetts through the employment of local maritime labour,” said Vineyard chief executive Klaus Skoust Moeller.
“These vessels will not only serve a critical role in both construction and operation and maintenance for our project but will also help to launch a new industry that will create jobs and reduce carbon pollution.”
