Suresnes (France) - January 12, 2021 - The LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS Group and its partner TIDAL TRANSIT are pleased to announce the signature of a new contract for a Crew Transfer Vessel for the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm.

French shipyard OCEA has been selected for the construction of this new innovative unit designed by the naval architects of MAURIC. LD Tide (a joint venture between LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS and TIDAL TRANSIT) will operate the CTV for the transfer of maintenance technicians to the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm. This unit will be the third vessel to be operated by LD Tide on the future SaintNazaire offshore wind farm.

Industrial partnerships and development of the French maritime sector dedicated to MRE

Following an international call for tenders, Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm selected LD Tide for an innovative CTV (T-foils, carrying capacity up to 24 technicians, high operability, intelligent bow fender, etc.). In addition to this contract, two other industrial partnerships have been established by LD Tide with French companies, allowing the structuring and development of the French maritime industry dedicated to Marine Renewable Energy.

The innovative design of this new unit has been entrusted to MAURIC, a naval architecture firm based in Nantes and a member of Neopolia, while construction will be carried out by French shipyard OCEA, a leader in the design, construction, and maintenance of aluminium ships, with production sites based in La Rochelle, Sables d’Olonne, Fontenay-le-Comte and Saint-Nazaire. The CTV will sail under the French flag and will have the mission of ensuring the transfer of technicians (up to 24 technicians per crossing) between the coast and the farm for maintenance of the electrical substation and of the wind turbines in their operating phase.

This contract is a new success for the LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS Group in the field of renewable energy. The supply of CTVs to the Saint-Nazaire wind farm confirms the Group’s position as a major player in this activity, further to earlier contracts signed with Ørsted and the Saint-Nazaire offshore windfarm by our subsidiary Louis Dreyfus TravOcean for the installation and protection of inter-array power cables. 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 CTV will start in 2021 with commissioning scheduled for 2022.

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.

“After a first contract signed with GE at the end of 2020 for two CTVs, we are particularly proud to sign a second contract for a project led by EDF Renewables and Enbridge, two leading companies 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 ever more innovative maritime solutions in terms of safety, personnel comfort and respect of the environment. Finally, we are thus proudly participating in the development and structuring of the French maritime industrial sector dedicated to offshore wind turbines, which will provide further jobs and activities through these partnerships with the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, the naval architecture firm MAURIC and French shipbuilding company OCEA.”

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 vessel 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.” Olivier de La Laurencie, Director of the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm project trusts them: “The Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm, launched in mid-2019 with offshore works due to begin in February 2021, is becoming increasingly real through this new contract which announces the operation phase. We are delighted to entrust LD Tide with the construction and operation of our maintenance vessel and to mobilize both an architecture firm and a shipyard based in Pays de la Loire. As from 2022, the safe transfer of the technicians based in La Turballe to the windfarm will be ensured on a daily basis aboard this high-performance vessel.”

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 once again for the construction of this new CTV ordered for the Saint-Nazaire offshore wind farm. This isthe second partnership between the LDA Group and OCEA, after the first one for two CTVs ordered by GE a few weeks ago! OCEA has been able to provide a competitive offer thanks to its expertise in ship construction, particularly for offshore maritime services. This is the third CTV 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: “After the first success of our design with GE, we are pleased that EDF Renewables and Enbridge also considered LD Tide’s offer and design as the best CTV solution. This is the result of an excellent collaboration with the LOUIS DREYFUS ARMATEURS teams and a strong investment by our naval architects to develop a specific, innovative solution with high operational and environmental performance. We hope that this new success for MAURIC in the offshore wind sector and this recognition in France will call for others in Europe and around the world “.

Provisional technical characteristics of the CTV

• 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

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 Press Contact