The buildout of the Jones Act-compliant fleet to service the U.S. offshore wind sector continues with St. Johns Ship Building reporting it delivered the second crew transfer vessel for Windea CTV, a partnership between Hornblower Wind and MidOcean Wind. It is also the third CTV delivered by the shipyard in 2024 with additional vessels under construction as part of the broader emerging U.S. fleet for the offshore wind industry.
St. Johns Ship Building originally received the order for two CTVs from Windea an offshoot of the European Windea Offshore which has been operating in Europe for more than a decade. The order was later expanded to a third vessel for the U.S. operation. The operator is under contract to supply the CTV services to GE for Vineyard Wind, which is already under construction off the coast of Massachusetts.
The Windea Enterprise was delivered as the second of the vessels joining Windea Courageous, which was completed in late 2023. The first vessel is now operating from the facility in New Bedford, Massachusetts to support the wind farm. The site is 15 miles offshore.
Windea highlights that it customizes its vessels to the individual project. These CTVs are based on a design developed by Incat Crowther. Built of aluminum, they measure 98.5 feet (30 meters). They feature a large foredeck and a bow technology to minimize landing forces. They can carry over 50 tons and have a cabin to transport up to six people in comfort. They are propelled with Volvo Penta units and were built with space for the addition of battery systems. The vessels were designed for a speed of 26 knots.
"With three CTV deliveries within the last six months and two more in production to be delivered this year, St. Johns continues to grow its CTV building program," said St. Johns Ship Building President Joe Rella. "As we advance our CTVs, barges, and other vessel orders, we are supporting the proud tradition of American shipbuilding."
In 2022, St. Johns was acquired by Americraft Marine, a maritime company of Libra Group, a privately owned business group. St. Johns Ship Building has undergone significant transformation over the past two years, including the modernization of its shipbuilding capabilities and investment in new talent to allow concurrently efficient production of multiple vessels.
The ships are being delivered as the Biden Administration continues to push forward with the approval of more offshore wind farms. Last Friday, Sunrise Wind, which will be developed by Ørsted and Eversource received final federal approvals and is pushing forward with its construction. It becomes the ninth large offshore wind farm approved in the U.S. As for 2023, the Bid Administration pointed out that the offshore wind sector had led companies to announce 18 offshore wind shipbuilding projects as well as investments of nearly $3.5 billion across 12 manufacturing facilities and 13 ports to strengthen the American offshore wind supply chain.
