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.