ABS to class first Jones Act SOV
Illustration of the SOV which will be classed by ABS (Source: ABS)
ABS is to class the first wind farm service operation vessel (SOV) to be designed and built in the United States. Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) will engineer and operate the 80m-long SOV, which is to be constructed in one of the company’s affiliated shipyards.
The ECO vessel, with capacity for up to 70 technicians and other personnel, will have diesel-electric propulsion meeting EPA Tier 4 emissions standards. It will also have an ECO Variable Frequency Drive to minimise fuel consumption and emissions. The SOV will be deployed on long-term charter, servicing the planned Revolution Wind, South Fork Wind and Sunrise Wind farms off the country’s north-east coast.
ECO president and CEO, Gary Chouest, commented: “We are unique in the US offshore marine vessel industry with our own in-house design and engineering group, our own shipyards, and a wealth of expertise in the offshore industry. This puts us in an industry-leading position as the only US company capable of fully engineering, constructing and operating specialised vessels for this market.”
ABS senior vice president, Global Offshore, Matt Tremblay, said: “ABS’ unique understanding of the US regulatory environment and our industry-leading offshore experience means we are uniquely well-placed to support projects such as this. We are fully committed to supporting development of the US offshore wind industry and proud to be part of this initiative.”
The offshore wind sector is set to expand rapidly in the United States, which currently has only one offshore wind farm in operation. However, there is significant potential, both in the relatively shallow waters off the east coast and in the significantly deeper waters to the west.
