Dutch shipbuilder VEKA Group has started constructing what the company describes as the first hybrid trimarans in the world, intended specifically for transporting personnel and freight to offshore wind farms.
The trimarans are being built for the Danish shipping company World Marine Offshore. The crew transfer vessels (CTVs) have already been contracted by Iberdrola for the 350MW Wikinger offshore wind farm project in the German Baltic Sea.
The delivery of the two hybrid CTVs is scheduled for the third quarter of 2017.
The two vessels will be capable of transporting up to 24 technicians along with 20 tons of freight on the foredeck.
There are six cabins on board for the ship’s crew, along with a mess room, changing locker and space for the crew, allowing the ships to be deployed 24 hours per day, according to VEKA.
The 33m-long trimarans come equipped with a combination of diesel generators and batteries which can power the outer jets.
“The ship can sail for approximately an hour on the batteries. So in the very rare case that everything fails, it can always get away from offshore windfarm safely or sail into harbour,” VEKA said.