GustoMSC and Barge Master have joined forces to develop a motion-compensated feeder solution for the first wave of US offshore wind projects.
The two Netherlands-based companies adopted an integrated approach in order to comply with the Jones Act and overcome the operational restrictions of US ports. The Jones Act requires that any vessel transporting cargo between US ports, or between US ports and offshore facilities, is built and flagged in the US.
The proposed solution places the motion-compensated platform BM-T700 on a US flagged offshore vessel or a seagoing barge in order to feed the wind turbine components to the offshore installation site to be installed by a wind turbine installation jack-up.
Barge Master introduced the BM-T700 platform in 2013. By compensating the motions of the vessel, the platform creates a stable lift-off base for a maximum weight of 700 tons in sea states up to Hs 2.5 meter and is Lloyd’s certified under the lifting appliances rules.
GustoMSC will perform the naval engineering and the integration of the BM-T700 platform onto a new or existing DPII feeder barge.
Although GustoMSC sees sufficient potential for larger purpose-built Jones Act compliant installation jack-ups to cope with the expected increase in turbine size, weights and hub heights, this is a solid solution for the first wave of US projects within the remaining timeframe, the company said.