On the Ways

CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY AT WORKBOAT YARDS St. Johns, Gulf Craft to build 95’ CTVs for Windea CTV

Two 98'5"×32'10"×14'5" CTVs will be built in the U.S. by St. Johns Shipbuilding in Jacksonville, Fla., and one at Gulf Craft in Franklin, La., for Windea CTV LLC, a U.S. operator of offshore crew transfer vessels.

The CTVs are scheduled to be delivered in 2023 and will go immediately into service for GE Renewables. The vessels will rst operate out of New Bedford, Mass., during the Vineyard Wind I construction period. Vineyard Wind 1, a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) is located in federal wind energy area OCS-A-0501, 15 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and 35 miles from mainland Massachusetts.

The boats, which are designed by Incat Crowther, will have a maximum draft of 5'6".

“In collaboration with our operating partner Hornblower we are pleased to be working with Incat Crowther and the shipyards to construct the rst vessels of our CTV eet in the U.S.,” Bradley Neuberth, managing partner of Windea CTV and owner MidOcean Wind LLC, said in a statement. “These three CTVs represent the rst wave of our eet which we have been developing since 2019 with our European partners.”

“It’s great to have multiple vessels building for what I am sure will be a very successful operation,” said Ed Dudson, managing director of Incat Crowther Europe.

Windea’s CTV eet is owned and operated by MidOcean Wind and Hornblower Wind LLC, with technical and operational support from Windea Offshore USA shareholder Ems Maritime Offshore GmbH, which operates a fleet of CTVs in the European market.

The vessels feature a large foredeck with a 23-metric-ton knuckle boom crane and container securing lugs offering needed exibility. The vessels incorporate Incat Crowther’s resilient bow technology designed to minimize boat landing impact forces. As is common with all Incat Crowther CTVs, the vessels have a deadweight capability in excess of 50 metric tons.

A resiliently mounted superstructure is designed to increase comfort for both technicians and crew with six crew berths provided in above deck staterooms.

New CTVs will be built in Florida and Louisiana.

Other notable features include a large wet room and stores warehouse, fully featured bathrooms and a discreet mess area. Workshop and utility spaces in the hulls are immediately accessible from the cabin.

Main propulsion for the vessels will come from four Volvo Penta IPS propulsion units driven by Volvo DI13 main engines, producing 690 hp each. They are fully hybrid-ready, meaning the integration of the hybrid system is completely accommodated in the design, including dedicated voids for batteries, reserved cabling space and battery removal hatches. The propulsion package will give the boats a running speed of 26 knots.

Ship’s service power will come from two gensets (manufacturer’s name was not released), sparking 40 kW of electrical power each.

The vessels will be designed and built under Bureau Veritas class and comply with Coast Guard Subchapter L regulations.

Tankage includes 9,510 gals. of fuel oil and 925 gals. fresh water. The boats will carry a crew of six and 24 technicians. — Ken Hocke

Marell Boats delivers Arctic hybrid-electric passenger vessel

First announced in November 2021 and further detailed in March, the 48'×13.8', 12-passenger Kvitbjørn (Polar Bear) was successfully launched on May 2.

A Swedish collaboration between Volvo Penta, Marell Boats AB, and Hurtigruten Svalbard, the launch event showcased the capabilities of the vessel designed for exploration in the heart of the Arctic and is now in operation for sightseeing tours in Svalbard during the high season (May-October).

The rst of its kind hybrid-electric vessel, Kvitbjørn, set off on its maiden commercial voyage in May from Longyearbyen, Svalbard — the world’s northernmost town, just 800 miles from the North Pole.

BOATBUILDING BITTS

Edison Chouest Off shore

SOV will be able to operate partly on battery power.

Empire Off shore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, announced in May that it awarded a long-term service operations vessel (SOV) contract to Edison Chouest Off shore (ECO). The plug-in hybrid SOV will be the fi rst in the U.S. off shore wind sector capable of sailing partly on battery power. The vessel will accommodate up to 60 wind turbine technicians and will be utilized for the safe and effi cient operations and maintenance of the Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2 off shore wind farms. The charter agreement has a fi xed period of 10 years, beginning in the mid-2020s. No vessel specifi cations were announced.

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuild-

ing (Duclos Corp.), Somerset, Mass., has started construction on its fi rst crew transfer vessel (CTV) for Patriot Off shore Maritime Services LLC, New Bedford, Mass. The CTV will operate year-round, roundtrip service from New

Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding

88'6" CTV is being built in Massachusetts.

Bedford for 24 wind farm technicians and cargo to support Vineyard Wind’s construction, operation and maintenance of an 800-MW wind farm 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. The all-aluminum high-speed catamaran, designed by Incat Crowther, is 88'6"x29'6" ft. and has a draft of 5.6'. Each hull will be powered by a pair of Scania DI16, 8-cylinder, four-cycle, EPA Tier-3 compliant diesel engines, each rated at 788 hp (588 bkW) at 2,100 rpm. Each main engine will drive a HamiltonJet HM521 waterjet through a ZF-665 reverse-reduction gearbox.

All American Marine (AAM) was recently awarded a contract to build a 1,600-hp research and hydrographic survey vessel for Geodynamics, an NV5 company. The Shackleford is a 73'x26.7' semi-displacement aluminum catamaran hull designed by Nic de Waal of Teknicraft Design, Auckland, New Zealand. The new boat will have the fundamental and primary design elements of the recently commissioned Duke University Marine Lab’s Shearwater and Blue Tide Puerto Rico’s Blue Manta. Main propulsion will come from two fi xed pitch propellers, powered by twin Caterpillar C18 "D" ACERT, Tier 3 engines, each rated at 803

73' offshore hydrographic survey vessel.to be homeported in Manama, Bahrain.

hp at 2,100 rpm driving ZF 665V remote mounted gearboxes. The vessel’s design offers all passengers and crew a smooth ride and comfort, as the hull provides a cushioned effect when encountering waves. For the operator, the most valuable feature of these vessels is the fuel economy, which consumes approximately the same gallons per nautical mile throughout the estimated cruising speed of 18-24 knots, with a fuelefficient survey operation speed of 4-8 knots, fully laden. All American also recently delivered the Skana, a 150-passenger hydrofoil-assisted catamaran, to Major Marine Tours (MMT). The new boat is the second new 150-passenger cat delivered to Seward, Alaska-based Major Marine by AAM in two years. The Skana is a sistership to the Spirit of Matushka, delivered in the spring of 2021. The 87’x32’ Teknicraft Design aluminum cats are Coast Guard Subchapter T certified. This vessel will also operate out of Seward and will carry passengers on tours visiting Kenai Fjords National Park. The cat is powered by quad Hamilton Jet HM422 waterjets, powered by four Scania DI16 082 engines rated at 788 hp at 2,100 rpm each. The vessel joins Major Marine’s fleet of glacier and wildlife cruise vessels in and around Kenai Fjords National Park.

NOAA is seeking proposals from U.S. shipbuilders for the design and construction of new vessels that will primarily support NOAA’s coastal, continental shelf and deep ocean data collection requirements. The solicitation (https://sam.gov/opp/45ae10e950e04c d3b5683c2c4065424e/view), closes on Aug. 16, 2022, is for a firm, fixed-price contract for two vessels, with options for NOAA to purchase two additional vessels of the same design. The successful bidder will be responsible for both designing and building the new ships. To meet NOAA’s requirements, the new ships must have the capability to carry, deploy and recover multiple crewed and autonomous vessels to support nautical charting and seafloor survey missions. They must also be able to accommodate 48 people, consisting of commissioned officers, professional civilian crewmembers, scientists and other personnel. NOAA has set a goal of achieving net-zero emissions for its ship fleet by 2050. To support NOAA’s goal of reducing the agency’s carbon footprint, the new ships must incorporate the latest technologies, including highefficiency, environmentally friendly EPA Tier IV diesel engines and emissions controls.

Ocean Craft Marine, a purpose-built rigid hull inflatable boatbuilder based in Virginia Beach, Va., announced recently that it will invest more than $250 million over the next 10 years establishing the industry’s first independent maritime innovation laboratory. The goal of the Accelerator for Innovation in the Maritime Ecosystem or AIME, will be to enable ideation, collaboration, crosspollination, and integration among and between maritime industry peers in order to accelerate industry innovation especially within, but not limited to, the professional and military segments.

“The difference from a traditional boat is the feeling of silence,” said Tore Hoem, adventures director at Hurtigruten Svalbard. “In electric mode, you can hear the sound of the glacier ice in the water, the breath of walruses — it will allow us to offer a truly unique experience to our customers. Enabling the optimal mix of lowspeed, silent cruising, and the ability to cover a lot of distance for the three to four hour duration of the tour. We look forward to the experience of driving it — and expect our guests will be just as excited by the silent experience on board.”

Powered by a Volvo Penta twin D4320 DPI Aquamatic hybrid solution engines, the boat has a top speed of 32 knots, a cruising speed of 25 knots and a range of 500 nm. The complete power drivetrain solution for the vessel is based on the Volvo Penta D4/D6 Aquamatic DPI package.

The additional opportunities this project should open up for Volvo Penta and the entire market are top-ofmind awareness, as this project also represents the debut of a new business model, based on a power-by-the-hour payment program. This is a way of risk-sharing between Volvo Penta and the end-user and could offer great benefits to early adopters. Those early adopters will further benefit from the operational insights that Volvo Penta will be able to monitor and learn from the vessel in real-time.

Johan Inden, president of the Volvo Penta Marine Business Unit, mentioned that testing these solutions and models in such an extreme environment will enable the company to continue to support new and different experiences on the water. Hurtigruten Svalbard is focused on enabling ultimate adventure at sea and the Kvitbjørn will allow the company to offer exactly that in a way that makes it distinct from its competitors.

The vessel represents the first time that Volvo Penta has taken a fullsystems approach when developing a hybrid-electric solution and one of the first times the company has designed

First of its kind 48' hybrid-electric vessel operates in the Arctic.

a battery system able to operate at Arctic temperatures.

Usually, battery systems have to be cooled to between 20-30°C to operate safely and ef ciently. But this vessel will be working in extreme temperatures — the average summer water temperature in Svalbard is around -2 to 0°C. To keep the battery temperatures at a steady 15°C, Volvo Penta had to develop an integrated heating and cooling system that doesn’t circulate seawater to avoid icing. — Jeremiah Karpowicz

US Watercraft delivers 130-passenger ferry for North Carolina DOT

The aluminum passenger-only ferry Ocracoke Express received its Coast Guard Certi cate of Inspection recently and began carrying passengers to Ocracoke Island for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) on May 17.

The state-owned, 129-passenger 92'×26' Ocracoke Express is a catamaran-style passenger ferry out tted with 96 interior seats, an upper deck with 26 additional seats, two wheelchair tiedowns, 16 bicycle racks, and a concession area. It will carry passengers from Hatteras, N.C., to Silver Lake Harbor in Ocracoke Village and back — a trip of approximately 70 minutes each way — through Labor Day.

US Watercraft, Hubert, N.C., the commercial boatbuilding division of Waterline Systems, took over construction of the aluminum ferry midway through the project after the original builder, US Workboats, declared bankruptcy after a dispute with NCDOT. Working closely with Marek Yacht Design of Wilmington, N.C., construction was completed by US Watercraft’s team at its waterfront facility in Hubert. Elliott Bay Design Group handled the vessel design and systems and BMT/Nigel Gee was responsible for the boat’s hull lines and structure.

Main propulsion comes from four Caterpillar C18 diesel engines, producing 803 hp at 2,100 rpm each. The Cats connect to Thrustmaster Doen DJ170-hp waterjets through ZF 665-1 marine gears, with 182:1 reduction ratios. The waterjets have jet mounted hydraulics and controls. The propulsion package gives the new ferry a full load operational running speed of 25.5 knots and a full load top speed of 28 knots.

Capacities include 2,200 gals. of fuel and 200 gals. potable water.

The Ocracoke Express features a three-person crew, 4' draft, and Thrustmaster ESC200 controls. Lightship tonnage is 64.8 LT and full load tonnage is 88.0 LT.

The vessel was christened May 16 in a formal celebration that also kicked off NCDOT’s Ferry Division’s 75th Anniversary celebration.

“This launch represents a tremendous achievement by our experienced team,” Randy Borges, managing director of Waterline Systems, said. “Everyone involved was extremely professional and quickly overcame the challenges of picking up a complicated project midstream. With a lot of enthusiasm and energy we made it our own, and we’re proud to deliver the high build quality expected by the NCDOT and its passengers.” — K. Hocke

Weeks Marine