Swedish-Backed JV Orders Four Jones Act CTVs From Blount Boats

A new JV company, American Offshore Services (AOS), has placed an order for four new Jones Act CTVs at Blount Boats. 

AOS is a joint venture between Swedish CTV operator Northern Offshore Services and U.S. wind logistics company SEA OG. The partners have recently won their first contracts to serve new wind farm construction off the coast of the Eastern United States. These four new wind farm projects are on track to begin in the second quarter of 2023, and the new boats will go to work as soon as they are delivered over the span of 2023-24. 

The new 99-foot CTVs are designed to be "hybrid-ready," and they are an evolution of NOS' existing hull designs, which are in use in the Baltic and the North Sea. 

"We are excited to build this next generation of CTVs for AOS," said Marcia Blount, president of Blount Boats. "A hybrid-ready CTV is a fitting addition to the new and growing offshore wind industry in the United States."

Blount Boats built the first CTV for the U.S. market, the 65-foot Atlantic Pioneer, for Rhode Island-based Atlantic Wind Transfers in 2016. The market for U.S.-built CTVs is expected to grow over the course of the next five years, as the small connector vessels have to be Jones Act qualified in order to operate between U.S. ports and U.S. wind farms.