The Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) Line has placed an order with Kosaba Shipbuilding Corporation for a crew transfer vessel (CTV), the first vessel of this kind NYK has ordered from a shipyard in its home country.
The hull of the new 28-metre-long, 12-pax crew transfer vessel will be built based on a design from Northern Offshore Service, with which NYK formed a partnership in 2020 .
The new CTV is scheduled for delivery in late 2025 or in 2026, from when it will be used to transport technicians to build and maintain offshore wind farms in Japan.
This will be the third CTV owned by NYK and the second in Japan, following Rera As , which was delivered in April 2023. The Rera As has been chartered for the Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind farm off Hokkaido.
NYK notes that CTV demand in Japan is expected to grow around 2026, when a ramp-up in the construction of offshore wind farms is expected to begin. By that time, NYK plans to invest 43 billion yen (around EUR 265 million) in the offshore wind value chain, with the construction of this vessel being part of that plan.
The Japanese shipping company also says it will continue to seek to place CTV orders with shipyards in Japan.
“By expanding its fleet of CTVs, NYK aims to play an active role in promoting sustainable energy. NYK also aims to contribute to revitalizing the Japanese shipbuilding industry and marine industries, as well as have a positive impact on regional industry development and job creation,” the company said in a press release on 20 February.