CWind has secured a long-term charter contract agreement with Ørsted for a unique crew transfer vessel with hybrid diesel/electric propulsion. The vessel will service the Borssele 1 and 2 offshore windfarms. The agreement between Ørsted and CWind covers an initial three-year firm charter with options available for a further two years. The hybrid crew transfer vessel (CTV) will have a surface effect ship (SES) hullform and will operate from the Dutch port of Vlissingen. An SES, sometimes known as a sidewall hovercraft, has an air cushion like a hovercraft, and twin hulls like a catamaran. When the air cushion is in use, only a small portion of the twin hulls remain in the water, reducing resistance, giving the vessel greater speed and reduced fuel consumption. The concept behind the vessel was first highlighted by OWJ in August 2019. CWind says developing the hybrid SES for use as a crew transfer vessel was "in response to an industry-wide push to develop and deploy innovative technology that reduces C0_2 emissions while cost effectively servicing windfarms located further offshore."
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