Thailand’s Marsun shipyard has launched the first of two trimaran hullform crew transfer vessels (CTVs) for U-Ming Marine Offshore, the joint venture between World Marine Offshore and U-Ming Marine Transport Corporation
The ‘Inertia M3’ CTV was designed by WIND Naval Architects and One2three Naval Architects.
The trimaran small waterplane area twin hull vessel will have a patented hydraulic fender system known as the ‘Soft Bow’ and active hydrofoils that produce significant lift force during transit, ensuring a streamlined waterline and a smooth ride at high speed.
The foil’s size and position have been optimized to reduce motions during low-speed approaches to boat landings on offshore wind turbines.
According to the owner, the combination of a slender waterline and foils will reduce pitching motions by more than 50% compared to a catamaran CTV. This reduces bow motion during approach and significantly reduces the risk of slippage during crew transfer. The new vessels are propelled by three HamiltonJet HTX52 waterjets.
Once in service, the CTV will support the Taiwanese offshore wind industry.
