UK Workboat & CTV Fleet Statistics — Size, Operators & Market Growth

Real numbers on the UK and global workboat/CTV fleet are scattered across trade body and market-research sources — nobody puts them in one place. This guide does, with every figure attributed to its source so you can check it yourself and judge how current it is.

UK Workboat Fleet

• ~650 workboats operating in the UK, engaged in roles including dredging, buoy laying and harbour maintenance (UK Chamber of Shipping, Value of Shipping 2025)
• The UK industrial workboats market is projected to grow at roughly 5.2% CAGR, 2025–2035 (Fact.MR)

UK CTV Fleet & Operators

Crew Transfer Vessels are the fastest-growing part of the UK workboat fleet, driven by offshore wind build-out (see our guide on Workboat Code for CTVs for the operational side). On the water:

• Windcat Workboats operates close to 60 CTVs — the largest single operator in the sector
• OEG Group operates 15 multi-purpose CTVs
• Other established UK operators include Acta Marine Wind Services, MPI Workboats, Northern Offshore Services and Turbine Transfers
• Fleet expansion is active and ongoing — new CTV builds were reported entering service through 2025 from multiple operators

Global Workboat Market

Market size estimates vary by research methodology and exactly what's counted as a "workboat," but recent figures put the global marine workboat market at roughly $5.5 billion in 2025, projected to grow to around $8.9 billion by 2035 — a CAGR of roughly 5% (Verified Market Research, Marine Work Boat Market).

What This Means Practically

The UK workboat fleet is a few hundred vessels, not a few thousand — a genuinely specialist sector where CTV operators in particular are competing for a limited, specifically-qualified pool of Masters and crew as fleets expand. For operators, that's a tightening hiring market. For crew, it's a growing number of entry routes and real leverage — see our guide on Workboats & CTVs — Offshore Wind Crew for how to get in.

Sources: UK Chamber of Shipping (Value of Shipping 2025); Fact.MR (UK Industrial Workboats Market); Verified Market Research (Marine Work Boat Market); operator fleet figures from public operator/industry reporting. Figures currently accurate as of research date August 2026 — fleet and market figures change year to year, check the primary source for the latest release before citing elsewhere.