UK outfit Chartwell Marine is to design a 20-metre hybrid catamaran to carry out work off the US east coast.
The company said the vessel has been designed to meet US Environmental Protection Agency Tier Four emission standards.
Chartwell Marine said together with its unnamed partners they won the design project following a competitive tender launched by an undisclosed New England institution.
Chartwell Marine naval architect and managing director Andy Page said: “To be effective in next generation vessel design, Chartwell Marine has invested in the latest state of the art techniques in tank testing and computational fluid dynamics modelling.
“This is enabling us to create signature designs that will keep existing and future operators ahead of the curve when it comes to regulatory compliance and meeting evolving operational requirements
“The future of vessel procurement will look quite different to its current forms today, as operators worldwide begin to respond to increasingly stringent requirements for low emission craft.
“With emerging industries such as offshore wind changing the landscape of maritime activity off the East Coast, the USA in particular will be a major growth market for innovative new vessels.”
The image shows tank testing of the catamaran design.