First US-Flagged Offshore Wind Service Operations Vessel Taking Shape

April 5, 2023, by Adrijana Buljan

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) has marked the 50-per cent completion milestone on ECO Edison, the first-ever US-flagged, Jones Act-compliant offshore wind service operations vessel (SOV), chartered by Ørsted and Eversource for their South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind projects.

The construction of the SOV, being built by ECO’s in-house shipyards in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida, started in March last year with the delivery slated for next year.

“Thanks to our decades of experience in offshore industries, our in-house engineers, and the hard work of more than 400 of our shipbuilders, we’re now more than 50-percent complete on this historic, specialized vessel that will serve as a model for the U.S. offshore wind industry and a homebase for American offshore wind technicians for years to come”, Gary Chouest, President of Edison Chouest Offshore.

According to Ørsted and Eversource, whose senior management teams toured the shipyard in Louisiana, the construction of the ECO Edison SOV is supporting hundreds of jobs, with components of the vessel sourced from across 34 states.

Furthermore, once in operation, the vessel – which will operate from Port Jefferson, New York – will serve as a floating, year-round home base for 60 of the first US offshore wind turbine technicians who will work on servicing and maintaining offshore wind turbines, the developers said.

“This vessel is a testament to American leadership: Designed and built in the United States; as long as the Superdome is tall; able to host 60 wind turbine technicians – all whom will benefit from the vessel’s state-of-the-art accommodations to keep them safe and well-cared for while at sea; and ready to support the long-term operations and maintenance of our portfolio of offshore wind farms and consequent production of enough energy to power more than a million U.S. homes”, said Mike Ausere, Vice President of Business Development at Eversource Energy.

The two offshore wind developers also emphasised that, with projects such as this, the Gulf of Mexico region was playing a central role in the buildout of a new domestic offshore energy supply chain.

“This first American service operations vessel represents the ingenuity of businesses like Edison Chouest to build upon their legacy in offshore energy and to supply a cutting-edge vessel that will allow workers to safely and effectively operate offshore. The offshore wind energy industry is utilizing the talented and expert Gulf Coast workforce, and we’re proud that this first-of-its-kind vessel will support the production of more American energy, strengthening our national security and powering millions of American homes”, said David Hardy, Group EVP and CEO Americas at Ørsted.

Another offshore wind vessel that Ørsted and Eversource chartered is also being built in the Gulf of Mexico region. Charybdis, the first US wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), is currently under construction, in Brownsville, Texas.

In addition, vessels from other ports in the Gulf are already supporting the construction of the South Fork Wind project in New York, Ørsted and Eversource noted.