DNV GL, WindServe Ink Deal for U.S. Wind workboat

DNV GL has secured a classification contract for WindServe's new Crew Transfer Vessel.

WindServe Marine, LLC (WindServe) has awarded DNV GL a contract for classification of one purpose-built offshore Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) for Ørsted North America (Ørsted). The contract covers the construction of the BMT-designed vessel, which will be the first offshore wind vessel built in the United States to class requirements.

The high-speed aluminum catamaran is a custom design from the U.K.-based BMT Group (BMT), who has extensive offshore wind experience and a large portfolio of offshore wind vessels, including 49 CTVs, currently operating in Europe. The new state-of-the-art design from BMT is built specifically for U.S. East Coast sea conditions and will be used by Ørsted in their expanding operations in the region.

The first CTV, which will be delivered in early 2020, will be built by U.S. Workboats in Hubert, North Carolina and utilized for Ørsted’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind Project, followed by subsequent service on Northeast projects. A second CTV will be built by WindServe’s affiliate shipyard Senesco Marine in North Kingstown, Rhode Island specifically for Ørsted’s and Eversource’s Revolution Wind project in Rhode Island.

The United States holds significant opportunity for expansion in offshore wind and all main industry segments served by the DNV GL Group — Maritime, Renewables, Oil and Gas, Business Assurance and Software — are in some way connected with the offshore wind market, which provides synergies that benefit customers. With an increasing promise the U.S. market will attract interest from global players DNV GL is uniquely positioned to service the entire offshore wind lifecycle.