St. Johns Ship Building has held a keel laying ceremony for the second of the series of aluminum crew transfer vessels (CTVs) that the company is building for Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT).
The company placed an order for the vessels in August 2022, saying that the first two CTVs are expected to be delivered in summer 2023 and January 2024, respectively, with four further in the pipeline.
The 25.2-metre long vessels will be the first US-built CTVs to be compliant with the Jones Act, certified under United States Coast Guard (USCG) Subchapter L, and able to operate at any offshore wind farm in the US under safety and inspection standards of the US Coast Guard, said the Florida-based shipbuilder.
The CTVs, which will be of Chartwell Marine’s design, will be able to transport 24 personnel to and from wind turbines.
“This is another milestone for Atlantic Wind Transfers as we lay the Keel for our second crew transfer vessel at St. John’s as AWT continues to expand its CTV fleet to support offshore wind construction and O&M in the U.S. “, said Charles A. Donadio Jr , Founder of AWT.
The announcement follows the Jones Act shipyards’ acquisition by Americraft Marine in June last year.