American Offshore Services takes delivery of fourth windfarm crewboat in series

Providence, Rhode Island-based American Offshore Services (AOS) has taken delivery of a new fast catamaran crewboat built by Blount Boats.

Gamekeeper is the fourth crewboat in a series that also includes the 2024-built Gripper, Generater and Guarder. The Jones Act-compliant aluminium catamarans were all built to support Ørsted and Eversource's growing portfolio of offshore wind farms in the north-eastern US.

Gamekeeper has an LOA of 99 feet (30 metres), a beam of 36.7 feet (11.2 metres), an operational draught of 6.2 feet (1.9 metres), and seating for 24 offshore turbine technicians. Up to 20 tonnes of cargo or eight 10-foot containers can be carried on the open decks forward and aft of the superstructure.

The primary design of the crewboat focuses on its soft bow and proprietary fenders developed by Northern Offshore Services, AOS' sister company under Sweden's Northern Offshore Group. This fender system allows the vessel to work in higher sea states with better station-keeping ability when pushing onto turbine generators out at sea.