Partnering up across the pond

摘要

The US is ramping up wind farm construction, and the remit for a pair of locally built CTVs demonstrates just how quickly this sector is growing - but, for the second time, it's drawing on UK boat design. The first of these two CTVs will initially support the Coastal Virginia Offshore Windfarm, a relatively small, 12MW pilot already under construction. Despite its size, it's significant as a likely precursor to a large 2,600MW development, construction of which will start in 2024. The CTV's sister is destined for the US$1.5 billion Revolution windfarm, a 700MW site located 24km off the coast of Rhode Island. The project will comprise two wind farms of 400MW and 300MW capacities, the latter expected to undergo construction in 2022. The US' East Coast has extremely variable conditions and the odd hurricane. So, while these 19.7m-long, 7m-wide and 1.4m-draught vessels adopt a BMT CTV design, "we've refined the hullform for our location", says Josh Diedrich, director for business development at WindServe, the Revolution farm support operator. This has included a raised wet deck and keeping the hull length below the 19.8m threshold for ecological seasonal management area (SMA) compliance, a designation that protects North Atlantic whale breeding grounds.