Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, Mauric, Barillec Marine, SEAir and ADV Propulse are to develop a “zero emission” & safer transfer CTV, named the ZEST project.
The five partners have been working for three months on the development of a prototype CTV which aims to be safer when transferring personnel and “tends towards zero emissions”.
It is hoped that the CTV will be ready in 2025 to provide a safer and more efficient transfer of wind turbine maintenance personnel.
This would be due to its excellent sea navigation characteristics and the integration of sea state monitoring systems, the consortium said.
Furthermore, in comparison to the current market for wind turbine maintenance personnel transfer vessels, it will offer a more suitable and secure solution for transfer operations at sea.
The CTV will be more manageable and better suited to maintenance operations, the consortium added.
ZEST will operate with low energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions thanks to the combination of innovative technological bricks and an optimized architecture.
The use of recyclable composite materials will improve the environmental impact from the construction of the ship until its dismantling.
All of these impacts will be assessed through a Life Cycle Analysis.
The design studies of the ship and the associated technological bricks are currently being carried out, in parallel with a technical and economic study.
At the end of this study phase, the consortium will aim for a first commercial order which will allow the construction of a demonstrator.
This demonstrator will be tested in real conditions over a period of six months to validate its level of operational safety and its technical, economic and environmental performances.
The technological bricks developed within the framework of this project will be suitable for CTVs or other types of ships.