DEME Group has launched Yellowstone, said to be the world’s largest fallpipe vessel, which is now preparing for its first project, the 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW), the largest offshore wind farm under construction in the United States.
Officially named by the Princess of Belgium, Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid, on 4 June, Yellowstone is green methanol-ready and is also the first dual-fuel fallpipe vessel in the industry, according to DEME.
The company said on 4 June that the vessel would set sail to the US this summer to work on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) project, where DEME is installing 176 monopile foundations, three offshore substations, and subsea cables.
Yellowstone boasts a payload capacity of 37,000 tonnes, featuring a central vertical fallpipe capable of operating in water depths of between 600 and 700 metres, along with a large inclined fallpipe designed for shallower depths of between 30 and 50 metres.
The fallpipe vessel also has a hybrid power plant with a 1 MWh Li-ion battery, allowing significant fuel savings, and is TIER III compliant, according to DEME.
DEME said the name Yellowstone was chosen after an internal naming contest and carried on the legacy established by the company’s other fallpipe vessels, Flintstone and Rollingstone , while also referencing the promising future of the US offshore wind market, a key focus area for the company.
The 2.6 GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind will feature 176 Siemens Gamesa 14 MW wind turbines and will become the biggest US offshore wind farm once in operation in 2026.
The project is currently wholly owned by Dominion Energy but is in the process of becoming a 50:50 partnership between Dominion Energy and the New York City-based investment firm Stonepeak.