LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS and TIDAL TRANSIT selected by GE Renewable Energy Offshore
Wind (GE) for two Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) dedicated to the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind
farm. The two units will be designed by naval architect MAURIC and built by French shipyard
OCEA.
The LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS Group and itspartner TIDAL TRANSIT are pleased to announce the signature of a contract with GE Renewable Energy (GE) for two Crew Transfer Vessels for the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm. French shipyard OCEA has been selected for the construction of these new innovative units designed by the naval architects of MAURIC.
LD Tide (a joint venture between LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS and TIDAL TRANSIT) will
operate the two CTVs for the transfer of maintenance technicians to the Saint-Nazaire wind
farm.
Industrial partnerships and development of the French maritime sector dedicated to MRE
Following a call for tenders, GE selected LD Tide for two innovative CTVs, allowing the
structuring and development of the French maritime industry dedicated to Renewable Marine
Energy. In addition to this contract, two other industrial partnerships have indeed been
established with French companies. The innovative design of these three units has been
entrusted to MAURIC, a naval architecture firm based in Nantes, while construction will be
carried out by the French shipyard OCEA, a leader in the design, construction, and maintenance
of aluminum ships, with French-based production sites. The two CTVs will sail under the French
flag and will have the mission of ensuring the transfer of technicians (24 offshore wind
technicians per crossing) between the coast and the farm for wind turbines maintenance.
This contract is a new success for the LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS Group in the field of
renewable energy. Thanks to a strong experience in solid partnerships with major names in the
global industrial sector such as EDF RE (a first partnership was signed in 2019 by our subsidiary
Louis Dreyfus TravOcean for the installation and protection of inter-array power cables of the
Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm) or the Danish giant Ørsted (double partnership signed in 2017
and 2018 for the maintenance of German and English wind farms), the LOUIS DREYFUS
ARMATEURS Group confirms its position as a major player in this activity. In addition, the
collaboration with TIDAL TRANSIT, a recognised specialist in offshore wind power, is also one of
the key elements of this new industrial partnership. The construction of the two CTVs will start
in 2021 with commissioning scheduled for 2022.
Leo Hambro, Commercial Director of TIDAL TRANSIT, added: “We are delighted to have created
a new company in France with Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. With ten years of experience in the
offshore wind industry, Tidal Transit has built a solid reputation for delivering the best vessels
with the best crew at a competitive price. Despite our late arrival in the sector in the United
Kingdom, we are very happy to take part in this large-scale development phase in France, with
a renowned local partner such as Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. We are delighted to bring our
experience in the operation and delivery of innovative access solutions. MAURIC’s design will
bring additional efficiency gains that are yet to be seen in the market and we look forward to
introducing it to the whole industry.”
“We are very pleased with this new partnership with LD Tide”, said Sebastian Mertens, Director
of Service Offshore Wind at GE Renewable Energy Offshore Wind. “We are convinced that a
long-term collaboration at a local level, with the aim of bringing the latest technologies to this
first large-scale offshore wind project in French waters, is a formula for success. A combination
of high performance and high standards to achieve the lowest possible environmental footprint
is the way forward in our industry.”
Elvis Sahmanovic, Director of Maritime Transport and Mobility at OCEA, declared: “We are very
proud that the Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Group has decided to trust OCEA for the construction of
the 2 CTVs. This is a first between the LDA Group and OCEA, which has been able to provide a
competitive offer thanks to its expertise in ship construction, particularly for offshore maritime
services. These are the first 2 CTVs to be delivered to the French MRE industry and we hope they
will be the introduction to a long series.”
Fabrice Ghozlan, Sales and Development Director at MAURIC, said: “It is a great pride for the
entire MAURIC team to be the naval architects of the CTVs which will operate on the first French
wind farm. It is the result of a strong investment by MAURIC and an excellent collaboration with
Louis Dreyfus Armateurs’ teams who trusted us by choosing a specific, innovative design with
high operational and environmental performance thanks to its T-foil and hybrid pack. This
project fits perfectly into MAURIC’s DNA: always offering innovative, efficient vessel designs
with the smallest possible environmental footprint.
Provisional technical characteristics of the two CTVs
• Length: 26.70 m
• Width: 9.40m
• Draught: 1.80 m
• 24 technicians
• 3 crew members
• Service speed: > 25 knots
• Cargo capacity: 10 tons
• Propulsion: IMO tier III, hybrid (batteries) & hydrogen ready Technical innovations / Environmental impact
• Semi-swath hull shape, allowing for better seakeeping performance to facilitate the transfer of technicians in rough seas (2 HS meters) and improve comfort in transit.
• Aluminium construction and addition of a T-Foil (load-bearing plane) to reduce fuel consumption.
• Connection to shore power during stopovers
ABOUT LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS
For more than 165 years, LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS Group (LDA) has been offering its clients
tailor-made industrial maritime solutions with high added value activities and integrated
services, from ship design and ship management to maritime operations.
Through its values (Innovation, Reactivity, Know-how, Commitment), the Group offers maritime
transportation and services in Dry Bulk Transportation with four ship sizes; in Logistics (port
management, transshipment & cargo handling, shallow water transportation, 4 PL Logistics,
transportation of heavy lift and specialised cargoes, forwarding activities, logistics engineering)
and in offshore and onshore industrial solutions (submarine cable laying and maintenance,
power cable installation/protection in shallow waters, offshore wind turbine maintenance,
onshore wind services, submarine surveys, oil & gas).
With 80 GE Haliade 150-6MW wind turbines, the Saint-Nazaire wind farm will offer an installed
capacity of 480 MW and will supply 20% of the electricity consumption of the Loire-Atlantique
department, in France.
“We are particularly proud of this first partnership with GE, a leading company in renewable
energies”, said Kamil Beffa, Deputy CEO of the LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS Group. “This
success is definitely in line with our strategy to develop activities dedicated to MRE. We are
strengthening our commitment to clean and renewable energies while confirming our strategy
for more innovative maritime solutions in terms of comfort, personnel safety and respect of the
environment. We are also very proud to participate in the development and structuring of the
French maritime industrial sector dedicated to offshore wind turbines, which will provide further
jobs and activities through our partnerships with GE Renewable Energy Offshore Wind, naval
architecture firm MAURIC and French shipbuilding company OCEA.”
 for two Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) dedicated to the Saint-Nazaire offshore windfarm. The two units will be designed by naval architect MAURIC and built by French shipyardOCEA.){kind=link}