VESSEL REVIEW | Alfonsino Arrow – Japan's NYK places locally built windfarm crewboat into service

Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) recently took delivery of its first locally built crewboat.

The catamaran vessel Alfonsino Arrow was built by Kosaba Shipbuilding. She will be used to transport personnel involved in the construction and maintenance of offshore wind power facilities across Japan, particularly along the coasts of Oga, Katagami and Akita.

The newbuild has a length of 28 metres (92 feet), a beam of nine metres (30 feet), and a gross tonnage of 145.

Variation of a Swedish-developed crewboat design

“While the basic hull concept originates from a proven crewboat design developed by Northern Offshore Services, we modified the design to comply with Japanese shipbuilding regulations and operating conditions, sourcing aluminium materials and key components from Japanese manufacturers to meet requirements for local contributions,” NYK told Baird Maritime.

“As a result, the vessel can truly be described as a ‘Japan-made crewboat’, both in terms of construction and supply chain. The vessel is expected to achieve a domestic content rate of 95 per cent or higher.”

The owner explained that the design brief called not only for the construction of a vessel, but also for the establishment of a sustainable domestic crewboat model aligned with Japan’s expanding offshore wind market.

“We wanted a crewboat that could: operate continuously and reliably in Japanese coastal waters; safely and efficiently transfer technicians to offshore wind sites both in construction and commercial operation; and serve as a core, reputable hull platform for future NYK crewboats built in Japan.”

NYK said that it is essential for offshore wind operations to ensure safe transfers even in rough seas. Operational efficiency will then improve, which the company believes will help it in achieving Japan’s targets in terms of the adoption of renewable energy.

“If workers transferring to wind turbines suffer from seasickness, they will be unable to perform their tasks. We are therefore committed to building comfortable vessels with minimal motion.”

First vessel in a growing domestically manufactured fleet

The crewboat’s design was relatively new to Japan, having originally been developed for operation in Europe, NYK therefore encountered a number of challenges during development.

“Key challenges included aligning European crewboat knowhow with Japanese shipbuilding regulation and practices and ensuring quality and performance while working within a domestic production framework,” the company told Baird Maritime.

Nonetheless, work continued on the vessel up to final delivery, and she is now able to play a key role in what NYK said is the, “localisation of offshore wind project-related vessels in Japan.”

Alfonsino Arrow will be operated under a long-term time-charter agreement with Oga Katagami Akita Offshore Green Energy, a joint venture company established by JERA Nex BP Japan, Electric Power Development, Tohoku Electric Power and Itochu Corporation.

The crewboat is managed by Japan Offshore Support, an Akita-based joint venture formed by NYK and Akita Eisen.