Siemens Gamesa and the Japanese shipping and logistics company NYK have signed a time charter contract for a crew transfer vessel (CTV) that will be used at an offshore wind farm in Japan.
The CTV will be owned by NYK and managed by Hokkaido-based Hokuyo Kaiun Co., Ltd., an NYK Group company.
The vessel will be engaged in transporting workers to the offshore wind farm at Ishikari Bay New Port in Japan, which is scheduled to start commercial operation in December 2023.
The Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind farm project is being developed by Green Power Ishikari LLC, a special purpose company (SPC) established by Green Power Investment Corporation.
It plans to construct, operate, and maintain 14 units of SG 8.0-167 DD offshore wind turbines manufactured by Siemens Gamesa in a sea area of approximately 500 hectares.
The CTV will be used to transport workers between the offshore work site facilities and the onshore base for maintenance work after the offshore wind turbines are in operation.
"The market for CTVs is expected to grow to over 100 vessels in about 20 years, starting around 2026, when the construction of offshore wind power generation facilities in Japan is expected to begin in earnest. This will be the first CTV operation inside Japan by the NYK Group, and we aim to use this as a foothold for further expansion into the offshore wind power generation business, which is expected to grow in the future," NYK said.