Ørsted and Eversource, together with Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO), have announced that construction of the first-ever US-flagged Jones Act-compliant Service Operations Vessel (SOV) has commenced.
The vessel, which is being built at ECO in-house shipyards located in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida, is expected to be delivered in 2024.
The SOV, to be named “ECO EDISON” , will be operated by ECO from New York as an integral part of the operation and maintenance of the Revolution Wind , South Fork Wind , and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms in the northeast US.
With work beginning on the vessel, ECO has also announced the selection of Caterpillar Marine, GE Power Conversion, and Voith Schneider as power and propulsion system providers for the ECO EDISON.
ECO, Ørsted, and Eversource signed a long-term charter agreement for the provision of the SOV in October 2020.
The vessel will be used during the operation & maintenance (O&M) phase of the wind farm projects, serving as an at-sea base of operations to accommodate and transfer technicians, tools, and parts to and from the individual wind turbines.
The SOV will be over 260 feet long (about 79.2 metres), capable of housing 60 passengers, and will operate on diesel-electric power that meets EPA Tier 4 emission standards. The vessel will also feature proprietary ECO Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
“Today, the development of a new, clean energy future for the United States takes another important step forward as construction begins on the nation’s first Jones Act-qualified service and operations vessel,” said Joe Nolan , chief executive officer and president of Eversource Energy.
“Construction of this vessel will mean hundreds of new jobs for American workers as we continue to bring the benefits of offshore wind to communities around the country.”