NYK Expands Offshore Business Opportunities with CTV Agreement
Japan’s NYK Line has taken its next steps in its efforts to build business opportunities in the emerging offshore wind energy sector. NYK will be working with Sweden’s Northern Offshore Services, the largest operator of crew transfer vessels (CTV) for the offshore sector. In December 2019, NYK announced plans to collaborate with NOS in the CTV business.
Under the terms of the agreement, NYK will charter its new CTV ship, the Energizer, to NOS for 10 years. The vessel will operate mostly in Europe transporting workers to offshore wind farms. The bareboat charter contract NYK noted is part of the collaboration agreement with NOS and will be the first time NYK has owned a CTV.
The Energizer is a state-of-the-art CTV originally developed by NOS. It is equipped with an electric power system that includes an onboard generator and a large-capacity battery that can be charged from wind power generation equipment. The vessel can operate in a hybrid power mode using the battery to reduce emissions and fuel consumption.
As part of the charter agreement, NYK also plans to have engineers working with NOS. They note that Europe is ahead in the offshore wind sector and that by having their personnel working with NOS, NYK will be preparing for the domestic CTV business.
The Government of Japan’s plans calls for the development of 30 to 40 million kilowatts of power generation from offshore wind by 2040 to help the country to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050. NYK along with the other major Japanese shipping companies each see this as a major business development opportunity and have been working to build new business units dedicated to the emerging offshore power generation industry.
“It is one of the fields where the market is expected to expand in the future,” said NYK in announcing its new initiatives. “Among them, CTV plays an important role in transporting workers, moving personnel and equipment between the offshore worksite and onshore bases during the installation and operation of offshore wind power generation. We will continue to aim to contribute to the spread of offshore wind power generation through the CTV business, centered on cooperation with the NOG Group.”