What Atlantic Wind Transfers does

Atlantic Wind Transfers (AWT) operates the first dedicated fleet of U.S.-flagged Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) serving the American offshore wind industry. Founded in May 2015 by Charles A. Donadio, Jr. as a commercial wind support division of Rhode Island Fast Ferry, Inc., the company charters purpose-built aluminum catamaran vessels to offshore wind farm developers and operators for technician transport, cargo logistics, installation support, and long-term Operations & Maintenance. AWT's fleet is Jones Act-compliant, USCG Subchapter L-certified, with newer vessels meeting EPA Tier 4 emissions standards — a regulatory profile that effectively constrains competition to a small pool of qualified U.S. operators.

AWT's core technology centers on the Chartwell Ambitious-class 24.8–25.2 meter catamarans capable of transporting 24 personnel and operating up to 100 nautical miles offshore, designed in partnership with UK-based Chartwell Marine and built at U.S. shipyards (Blount Boats in Rhode Island for the earlier vessels; St. Johns Ship Building in Florida for the new generation). The active fleet includes Atlantic Pioneer (2016, 16-passenger), Atlantic Endeavor (2020, 24-passenger), Atlantic Resolute, and Atlantic Endurance, with six additional EPA Tier 4-compliant newbuilds on order. Operations run from a 5-acre waterfront headquarters at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, and a satellite base in Little Creek, Virginia, with capability to mobilize to any East Coast location.

AWT generates revenue exclusively through multi-year charter contracts with offshore wind developers under a direct enterprise sales motion, secured through competitive bidding. Active customers include Ørsted (Block Island Wind Farm, originally under Deepwater Wind, since 2016), Dominion Energy (Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, since 2020), and Boskalis (Sunrise Wind). Contracts typically span both construction/installation phases and ongoing 20+ year O&M lifecycles. Pricing is private and negotiated per project. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, with no institutional capital disclosed in the source material.

Name

Atlantic Wind Transfers

Legal name

Rhode Island Fast Ferry, Inc.

Website

https://atlanticwindtransfers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Atlantic Wind Transfers operates the first U.S. fleet of Jones Act-compliant Crew Transfer Vessels, chartering purpose-built catamarans to offshore wind farm developers like Ørsted and Dominion Energy for technician and cargo transport.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Transportation Services

NAICS

Deep Sea, Coastal, and Great Lakes Water Transportation (48311)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Crew Transfer & Workboat Services (Tug-Adjacent Operations) (TLAHAHAM)

Keywords

• Offshore wind support
• Crew transfer vessels
• Marine transportation services
• Wind farm vessel charter
• Offshore logistics services

Headquarters

HQ city

North Kingstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Long-term Vessel Charter Contracts: Atlantic Wind Transfers generates revenue through long-term charter agreements with offshore wind farm operators. These contracts provide dedicated crew transfer vessels with trained crew and marine management for specified periods, typically covering both construction/installation phases and ongoing operations & maintenance support. The charter model ensures recurring revenue from established offshore wind projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Atlantic Wind Transfers provides crew and cargo transfer services for U.S. offshore wind farms using a fleet of purpose-built, Jones Act-compliant aluminum catamaran Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs). The company's offerings include long-term charter of fully crewed CTVs, wind farm installation support, ongoing operations & maintenance, cable laying, dive support, ROV deployment, fuel transfers, hydrographic survey work, and container/cargo transport. Customers are offshore wind developers (Ørsted, Dominion Energy, Boskalis, etc.) contracting multi-year vessel charters.

Product overview

Atlantic Wind Transfers operates a fleet of purpose-built Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) for the U.S. offshore wind industry, offering a comprehensive suite of marine support services. The fleet includes four named vessels: Atlantic Pioneer (2016, Blount Boats), Atlantic Endeavor (2020, Blount Boats), Atlantic Resolute (St. Johns Shipyard), and Atlantic Endurance (St. Johns Shipyard). All vessels are U.S. Jones Act-compliant and USCG Subchapter L certified, with newer vessels meeting EPA Tier 4 emissions standards. The company provides services including crew transfers, wind farm installation support, operations & maintenance, cable laying, dive support, ROV deployment, fuel transfers, hydrographic survey work, and container/cargo transport. The company operates from Quonset Point, Rhode Island with a satellite location in Virginia, servicing wind farms including Block Island Wind Farm (Ørsted), Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (Dominion Energy), and Sunrise Wind (Boskalis).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Atlantic Pioneer CTV Charter
• Atlantic Endeavor CTV Charter
• Atlantic Resolute CTV Charter
• Atlantic Endurance CTV Charter
• Crew Transfer Services
• Wind Farm Installation Support
• Operations & Maintenance Support
• Cable Laying Operations Support
• Dive Support Operations
• Subsea ROV Deployment
• Fuel Transfers
• Hydrographic Survey Work
• Container & Cargo Transport

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 personnel transfers completed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Chartwell MarinecoreTechnology or Integration · 30 August 2022UK-based naval architecture firm providing CTV design expertise. Chartwell Marine designed the Chartwell Ambitious-class vessels being built for AWT. This partnership brings proven European offshore wind CTV designs to the U.S. market, with Ambitious-class boats already operating in Scotland, France, and Virginia.
• St. Johns Ship BuildingcoreTechnology or Integration · 30 August 2022Jones Act-compliant shipyard in Palatka, Florida constructing AWT's fleet of Chartwell Ambitious-class CTVs. The shipyard, acquired by Americraft Marine Group, is building six vessels for AWT with the first deliveries in Summer 2023 and January 2024. The partnership supports AWT's strategy to build Jones Act-compliant vessel capacity.
• Blount BoatscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2016Rhode Island shipyard that built the Atlantic Pioneer (2016) and Atlantic Endeavor (2020). Local Rhode Island company providing vessel construction supporting the first U.S.-built crew transfer vessels for offshore wind, securing 70+ jobs during each vessel build.
• Seacat ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based offshore wind CTV operator with fleet of 14 DNV-GL class-certified catamarans. Seacat Services shares operational expertise and best practices with AWT. Ian Baylis, Seacat's Managing Director, serves as consultant/adviser to AWT, helping advance the CTV market based on Seacat's European success.
• Americraft Marine GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationParent company of St. Johns Ship Building following acquisition in 2022. Supports vessel construction for AWT's CTV fleet expansion with facility and infrastructure improvements ahead of construction goals.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vroon Offshore: Dutch offshore vessel operator with a fleet serving offshore wind, oil & gas, and other offshore energy markets. Comparable in providing crew transfer and offshore support vessels under long-term charter to energy operators.
• ESVAGT: Danish-headquartered market leader in offshore wind service vessels (SOVs and CTVs) serving the European offshore wind industry. Comparable to AWT as a dedicated offshore-wind vessel operator, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• North Star Renewables: UK-based operator of service operation vessels (SOVs) primarily for the European offshore wind market. Comparable to AWT in serving the same end customers (offshore wind developers) under long-term charter arrangements, but focused on the larger SOV segment.
• Edison Chouest Offshore: Major U.S. offshore vessel operator with a large OSV fleet and growing offshore wind presence. Comparable as a U.S.-based competitor building Jones Act-compliant offshore wind support capacity at scale.
• Crowley Maritime: Large U.S.-based maritime services company that has been expanding into the Jones Act-compliant offshore wind vessel space. Comparable as a U.S. operator pursuing the same offshore wind logistics opportunity with deeper capital and broader capabilities.

Direct peers

• Seacat Services: UK-based offshore wind crew transfer vessel operator with a fleet of 14 class-certified catamarans across Northern Europe. Ian Baylis, Seacat's Managing Director, is already an adviser to AWT, making it both a strategic partner and the most directly comparable operator to AWT in terms of CTV business model.
• Edda Wind: Norwegian pure-play offshore wind vessel company operating CTVs and SOVs for European wind farms. Closely aligned with AWT in that both are dedicated offshore wind vessel operators leveraging purpose-built tonnage under long-term charter contracts.

Others

• Damen Shipyards: Dutch shipbuilder offering CTV and SOV designs and builds for the offshore wind market. Adjacent enabler to AWT's industry as a supplier of purpose-built crew transfer vessel platforms.
• Chartwell Marine: UK-based naval architecture firm whose Ambitious-class CTV design is being built for AWT. Functions as a strategic technology partner and ecosystem enabler rather than a competing operator.

Regional players

• Tidewater Marine: U.S.-listed global OSV operator with extensive Gulf of Mexico and international offshore energy vessel exposure. Comparable in vessel operations for offshore energy, though more concentrated in oil & gas than offshore wind.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/RIFastFerry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atlantic-wind-transfers

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atlantic Wind Transfers