Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and Tidal Transit have launched the first crew transfer vessel (CTV) dedicated to the operations and maintenance at the 480MW Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm off France.
The vessel launch was attended by representatives of the French shipyard OCEA, GE Renewable Energy, EDF Renouvelables and Louis Dreyfus Armateurs on 28 April.
GE selected Louis Dreyfus Armateurs and Tidal Transit for two CTVs for Saint-Nazaire in December 2020.
Construction of the two CTVs began in 2021 for a planned commissioning in summer 2022.
The order, along with the one of EDF Renewables, has enabled the structuring and development of an essential part of the French maritime sector dedicated to marine renewable energies, Louis Dreyfus Armateurs said.
The CTVs are the first to be entirely designed and built in France.
They will sail under the French flag and will have the mission of transferring technicians and their equipment between the coast and the wind farm for the maintenance of the turbines.
The vessels are equipped with batteries, which allows them to operate in hybrid mode, and are equipped with a foil to limit their fuel consumption and their environmental footprint.
Innovative design was carried out by Mauric, a naval architecture firm based in Nantes, and the construction was carried out by the French shipyard OCEA.