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Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S), a Sweden-headquartered provider of crew transfer vessels (CTVs) to the offshore wind industry, has taken delivery of a CTV converted to run entirely on biomethanol that has been chartered by the wind turbine supplier Vestas. According to N-O-S, this is the world’s first 100% biomethanol-powered CTV.
“We now operate the world’s first single fuel biomethanol crew transfer vessel. We are improving our fleet’s sustainability and setting a new standard for the maritime industry. Biomethanol represents a powerful alternative to conventional fuels, and we are proud to lead the way” , said David Kristensson , Group CEO of Northern Offshore Group.
The vessel, named Transporter, was designed and developed by N-O-S as a conversion from A-Class to T-Class. The 25-metre-long CTV is a high-speed catamaran with an updated and improved hull design and 24 pax seating, specially designed for fast and reliable transfer of technicians and light cargo, N-O-S says.
The conversion into a fully biomethanol-powered vessel was done in collaboration with Vestas, under an initiative that started in 2022, when Vestas signed a five-year charter with Northern Offshore Services to explore how the world’s first methanol-powered CTV could help reduce carbon emissions from its offshore service operations.
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N-O-S noted that biomethanol is subject to great competition, so the Transporter owner and operator secured the supply in advance through Northern Energy & Supply (N-E-S).
“We are leading the wind industry in testing solutions that move us away from using marine gas oil (MGO). Opportunities exist for operating low-emission vessels. Commitment and alliances are needed to further exploit these opportunities”, said Lisa Ekstrand , Head and VP of Sustainability at Vestas. “We are proud to be the first company in the wind industry to test the use of a single-fuel bio-methanol-powered CTV in our offshore service operations.”