TDI-Brooks kits out research vessel Brooks McCall for California

Brooks McCall is on its way to California (Source: TDI-Brooks)

TDI-Brooks has upgraded the diesel engine on Jones Act research vessel Brooks McCall, in anticipation of a new survey project with offshore wind developers on the US West Coast.

Currently alongside in Freeport, Texas, the vessel has been upgraded to the standard specified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), which governs diesel particulate (PM) and NOx emissions – a standard which is almost impossible to meet without exhaust aftertreatment systems including selective catalytic reduction (SCR), and/or exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR). This will allow the vessel to operate within 24 nautical miles of the California Coast.

The vessel is set to be deployed along the US West Coast from May or June 2025, where it will conduct geotechnical surveys to gain a better understanding of the seabed in preparation for offshore wind installations.

California enforces tough emissions and electrification standards on its vehicles and is embracing renewable energy faster than other states, with some 54% of the state’s energy grid now emitting no greenhouse gases compared with 40% nationwide.

But the state’s offshore wind industry has a high cost hurdle to overcome, as the continental shelf on the Pacific Coast drops off sharply, leaving little prospect of fixed-bottom turbines and necessitating more expensive floating turbines.

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