American Offshore Services (A-O-S) announced the launch of its second crew transfer vessel (CTV), Generater, designed to support the United States' growing offshore wind industry.
Generater is a 99-foot, Jones-Act-qualified catamaran built to serve wind farms off the U.S. East Coast.
Like sister vessel Gripper, the newbuild is of Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S)’ 30-meter G-Class design with focus on comfort for crew and technicians, making it possible to stay offshore for 24-hour operations, A-O-S said.
Some of the design highlights are the soft bow, sculpted hull and proprietary fenders, allowing the vessels to work in higher sea states with better station-keeping ability when pushing onto turbine towers. A-O-S said the technology has been developed over the last 16 years by its Swedish sister company N-O-S, today the world’s largest CTV operator.
The newbuild features Volvo Penta's IPS propulsion system and is said to be "hybrid-ready", meaning it was built with space reserved for all the required components for future upgrade to hybrid propulsion.
A-O-S is a joint venture formed in 2020 by N-O-S and U.S.-based investment firm OIC. The company, which plans to expand its CTV fleet with the growth of the U.S. offshore wind industry, currently has vessels on order at Blount Boats as well as Metal Shark in Franklin, La.
To date, there are more than 20 CTVs in service or on order in the U.S., according to data from Intelatus Global Partners. In the years ahead, it is expected that dozens more will be built in the U.S. to support the construction and long-term service of a pipeline of new wind farms slated to sprout up in the waters off of the country's East Coast.
“There is an urgent shortage of CTVs servicing offshore wind farms,” said Michael Burbelo, Managing Director of A-O-S. “We have an important role to play in the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms. The industry depends on technicians being rapidly transported to towers for maintenance. Our G-Class vessels are highly specialized and designed specifically for safe and reliable operations, all year round, in harsh North Atlantic conditions.”
“In the U.S. this is a new class of crew transfer vessels. A-O-S is one of few pioneers in the field, backed up by experience from the more mature European offshore wind industry,” said David Kristensson, Group CEO of Northern Offshore Group. “We have developed our standard and DNA of high quality, proven and dependable technology. We have strong beliefs in the U.S. market, where we can support the expansion of offshore wind.”.