Houston - 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. 

Josh Diedrich, Business Development Director at WindServe, said, “With their breadth of knowledge in offshore wind and years of experience in the European market, DNV GL was a natural class partner for this project. We have been tremendously pleased by the support and consultation we have received so far and look forward to more excellent collaboration moving forward.” 

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. 

“We are very pleased to be selected as the classification partner for this purpose-built vessel and we look forward to supporting WindServe and Ørsted in realizing their successful delivery, as well as their future plans,” said Antony DSouza, EVP and Regional Manager DNV GL Maritime Americas. 

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. 

"We believe success relies on understanding the dependencies between different parts of the offshore wind value chain, which is why we take a full lifecycle approach to managing risks, reducing costs, and maintaining quality," said Sergio Garcia, Regional Business Development Manager, DNV GL Maritime Americas. "We are excited about the future of the U.S. Offshore wind market and are committed to utilizing our 30-plus years of experience in this segment to support and facilitate the safe and efficient planning, construction and management of related projects in this region."