GE Takes Delivery of First Made-in-France Crew Transfer Vessel

GE Renewable Energy has taken delivery of its first of two crew transfer vessels (CTVs) dedicated to the operations and maintenance of the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm.

The announcement was made by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) and Tidal Transit which were selected by GE Renewable Energy in December 2020 to provide two CTVs for the offshore wind farm.

The vessel, named Inno’vent, is the first CTV entirely designed and built in France, LDA said.

The design was carried out by MAURIC, a naval architecture firm based in Nantes, and the construction was carried out by the French shipyard OCEA, a company active in the design, construction and maintenance of aluminum vessels, whose production sites are based in France.

The CTVs will sail under the French flag and will transfer technicians and their equipment between the coast and the wind farm for the maintenance of the turbines. 

Both vessels are equipped with batteries, which allow them to operate in hybrid mode, and are outfitted with a foil to reduce fuel consumption and their environmental footprint.

The launch of the first CTV took place in April, with representatives of the French shipyard OCEA, GE Renewable Energy, EDF Renouvelables, and LDA in attendance.

EDF Renouvelables, one of the developers of the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, has also placed an order for a third CTV sistership, which is expected to be delivered in the fall in La Turballe, France.

The 480 MW French project features 80 GE Haliade 150-6 MW wind turbines and is owned and developed by Eolien Maritime France (EMF), a consortium of EDF Renouvelables, Enbridge, and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Once commissioned later this year, Saint-Nazaire, also known as Parc éolien en mer du Banc de Guérande, will become France’s first operating offshore wind farm.

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