ABS to Class First-Ever Jones Act SOV

The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) will class the first U.S.-flagged Jones Act service operation vessel (SOV).

The SOV will be engineered, constructed, and operated by Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) for long-term charter to service the Revolution Wind, South Fork Wind, and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms in the northeast U.S.

“ABS’ unique understanding of the U.S. regulatory environment and our industry-leading offshore experience means we are uniquely well placed to support projects such as this,” said Matt Tremblay, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Offshore.

“We are fully committed to supporting 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 SOV will operate from New York and will be used during the O&M phases of the wind farms, serving as an at-sea base of operations to accommodate and transfer technicians, tools, and parts to and from the individual turbines.

The 80m long vessel, which will be capable of housing 70 passengers/technicians, will operate on diesel-electric power meeting EPA Tier 4 emission standards and will feature proprietary ECO Variable Frequency Drive to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.