Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO), a provider of marine transportation solutions, says it will engineer, construct and operate the first U.S.-flagged Jones Act offshore wind farm service operation vessel (SOV) ever ordered and built to American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Class standards.
ECO says the SOV will be utilized for long-term charter to service the planned Revolution Wind, South Fork Wind and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms in the northeast U.S.
“ABS’s understanding of the U.S. regulatory environment and our offshore experience means we are well placed to support projects such as this,” says Matt Tremblay, senior vice president of global offshore at ABS. “We are fully committed to supporting the development of the U.S. offshore wind industry and proud to be part of this initiative, which will play a key role in delivering its exciting potential.”
The 80-meter-long vessel, which will be capable of housing 70 passengers/wind turbine technicians, will operate on diesel-electric power meeting EPA Tier 4 emission standards and will feature the proprietary ECO Variable Frequency Drive to substantially reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
That’s some exciting news for sure. Interesting to see the diesel electric setup. Guessing it’s somewhat similar in concept to the diesel-electric train engines?
I’ve heard about the Jones Act being quite the challenge for ship builders – so it’s exciting to hear they’ve worked through that challenge.
I love working with the wind industry and spreading the positive impact through handcrafted marketing videos.
Travis Johansen
Clean Energy Storyteller
http://www.providfilms.com