JERA Nex BP and Partners Charter Crew Transfer Vessel from NYK

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Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) has entered into a long-term time-charter agreement with the Oga Katagami Akita Offshore Green Energy joint venture for a crew transfer vessel (CTV) that will serve the first offshore wind project in Japan’s general sea area.

The joint venture ordering the vessel – established by JERA Nex BP Japan, Electric Power Development (J-POWER), Tohoku Electric Power, and Itochu Corporation – is developing the Oga Katagami Akita Offshore Wind Project, located off the coast of Oga City, Akita City, and Katagami City in Akita Prefecture.

The partners secured the project site in Japan’s offshore wind auction in 2023. Last year, the joint venture placed an order with Vestas for the 315 MW project, which includes 21 V236-15.0 MW turbines as well as a long-term service agreement.

The design of the CTV that NYK will provide for the project is based on a model operated by Northern Offshore Services (N-O-S), with modifications to facilitate domestic construction, and will be built by Kosaba Shipbuilding in Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture.

At the beginning of 2024, NYK said it had placed an order with Kosaba Shipbuilding Corporation for a crew transfer vessel based on a design from N-OS, with which NYK formed a partnership in 2020 .

In February this year, NYK Line announced that it would invest in Northern Offshore Group (N-O-G) . The two companies have had an operational and technical collaboration since 2019, and N-O-G became an NYK Group company when a majority of its shares were acquired by NYK.