Empire Offshore Wind has awarded a 10-year service operations vessel (SOV) charter agreement to US marine transportation provider Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO).
The plug-in hybrid SOV will be the first in the US offshore wind sector capable of sailing partly on battery power.
The vessel, which ECO will build, will accommodate up to 60 turbine technicians and will be used for operations and maintenance at the Empire Wind 1 and 2 offshore wind farms.
The charter agreement will start in the mid-2020s. It is understood that the Clarksons Platou Renewables SOV team was broker and advisor for the transaction.
The US-flagged vessel will be Jones Act-compliant and have its home port at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (SBMT) in New York.
The SOV will be constructed with components from ECO’s extensive supplier base across 34 US states.
The supplier estimates that this will generate over 250 high-skilled US jobs during vessel construction.
The SOV will sail into the port of SBMT on battery power, recharge the battery using shore power and sail out of New York Harbor.
The hybrid vessel is certified to “tier 4 emissions standards”, reaching the highest standard for marine applications.
Teddy Muhlfelder, vice president, Empire Wind and Beacon Wind, at Equinor, said: “With the first of its kind, plug-in hybrid service operations vessel, Empire Wind will reduce potential emissions from our operations in the New York City area.
“This is another critical step forward in the development of the offshore wind industry, while helping achieve critical state and federal climate goals.”