St. Johns Ship Building has held a keel laying ceremony for the first Incat Crowther 30 crew transfer vessel (CTV) that the company is building for WINDEA CTV in compliance with Jones Act regulations in the US.
In April, WINDEA CTV started construction of its first three 30-metre hybrid-ready CTVs for the emerging US offshore wind market.
The first two CTVs will be constructed at St. Johns Shipyard in Palatka, Florida, while the third CTV will be built at Gulf Craft in Franklin, Louisiana.
Once delivered in 2023, the CTVs will go immediately into service for GE Renewables.
The vessels will first operate out of New Bedford, Massachusetts, during the Vineyard Wind 1 construction period.
St. Johns Ship Building was recently acquired by Libra Group’s subsidiary Americraft Marine.
“This ceremony is a very proud moment for Americraft Marine, as it represents the first keel laying ceremony at St. Johns Ship Building under our ownership and is the culmination of a lot of hard work from the outstanding team at St. Johns”, said Ed Sheets , Executive Vice President and Director of Business Strategy for Americraft Marine Group.
When it comes to WINDEA CTV, the company is part of the WINDEA Offshore USA consortium that provides a full set of services for construction support and operations and maintenance (O&M) activities.
The company’s fleet is owned and operated by MidOcean Wind LLC and Hornblower Wind, LLC., with technical and operational support from WINDEA Offshore shareholder Ems Maritime Offshore GmbH.