On September 14, 2026, a ceremony marking the start of construction of a Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) was held at Okishin Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture.
The vessel will be Japan’s first CTV dedicated specifically to training. As part of offshore wind training at NOA TRAINING on Iojima Island in Nagasaki City, it will transport trainees to an offshore training tower currently under construction off the coast of Takashima, Nagasaki City.
One of the most hazardous operations in offshore wind is transferring personnel from a moving vessel onto an offshore wind turbine. This CTV will enable trainees to practice vessel-to-turbine transfers at sea under conditions similar to those encountered at actual offshore wind sites.
The vessel will have the following specifications and features:
• Approximately 20 meters in length
• Aluminum catamaran design
• Maximum speed of 23 knots
• Capacity for 17 people: 5 crew members and 12 offshore workers
• Built by the Nagasaki Maritime Human Resources Development Association with support from The Nippon Foundation
• Completion and delivery scheduled for spring 2027
• Offshore training expected to begin around autumn 2027
• The vessel’s name will be selected through a naming contest open to fifth- and sixth-grade elementary school students in Nagasaki City
The ceremony was featured by several television stations and newspapers:
• NBC Nagasaki Broadcasting
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/nbc/2944248?display=1
• KTN Television Nagasaki
https://www.ktn.co.jp/news/detail.php?id=20260914005
• NIB Nagasaki International Television
https://news.ntv.co.jp/n/nib/category/society/ni416e60e6a59548d0b8f52c1497e665cc
• The Nikkei
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOJC117WQ0R10C26A9000000/
• The Nagasaki Shimbun
https://www.nagasaki-np.co.jp/kijis/?kijiid=0ea7de2f2488434e820b8cc44297597d
• The Nishinippon Shimbun
https://www.nishinippon.co.jp/item/1537998/
A new vessel supporting the development of Japan’s offshore wind workforce is now taking shape at a shipyard in Nagasaki!
