‘World’s first’ biomethanol-powered crew transfer vessel ready to work in offshore wind

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.

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.”