Wind farm service vessels (WFSV / SOV / CTV)

Crew Transfer Vessels (CTV), Service Operation Vessels (SOV), and Walk-to-Work (W2W) vessels supporting offshore wind installations. The fastest-growing offshore segment in 2026.

Work environment

Two distinct profiles. CTVs run day trips from base port (typically <12-hour shifts, home most nights — closest to a normal job in shipping). SOVs run 14-day or 28-day rotations with walk-to-work gangway transfer to turbines, hotel-class accommodation onboard for ~60 technicians. North Sea (UK + Germany + Netherlands + Denmark), Taiwan, and US East Coast are the main markets.

Common ranks onboard

• master
• chief officer
• second officer
• chief engineer
• second engineer
• able seafarer deck
• motorman
• dpo

Typical certificates

• BST
• PSCRB
• AFF
• MFA
• GWO Basic Safety Training (BST — different from STCW BST)
• DPO for SOV / W2W (DP2 typical)
• BOSIET / FOET (transferring industry standard)

Generate a tailored list with the STCW certificate checker.

Safety risks

• CTV-to-turbine bow-push transfer (slip + crush)
• DP failure during W2W gangway connection
• Weather windows + sea-state limits (Hs)
• Turbine-induced wake effects on small CTVs

Last verified 14 days ago