Swiss vessel provider Geoquip Marine has been chosen to carry out geotechnical surveys for the 804MW Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind project off the US east coast of Massachusetts.
The survey work will be done in two phases, with the first slated to begin at the end of this month and the second to begin in late July.
Geoquip expects to finish the project by September this year.
The company will use two vessels to gather data on the seabed conditions for turbine and substation locations, which will feed into project design.
Vineyard Wind chief executive Lars Pedersen said: “Getting to this step would have been a milestone under normal circumstances but to do so now in light of the current pandemic makes reaching this point all the more significant and rewarding.
“We look forward to working with Geoquip as we begin to gather the data necessary to get the first large-scale offshore wind project in the United States up and running.”
Geoquip’s first project with the project’s developer was in 2018 was for a similar geotechnical scope.
Vineyard Wind engineering, procurement and construction director Rasmus Miller said: “In order to ensure a timely delivery of Vineyard Wind having geotechnical data as early as possible is key to success. We are very pleased that Geoquip once again has agreed to support us.”
Geoquip Marine chief executive Stewart Higginson added: “Leading offshore geotechnical survey company Geoquip Marine is proud to be returning once more to Martha’s Vineyard to assist with this survey.
“We can’t wait to bring our expertise to a project that has such tremendous potential to lower energy costs and drastically cut harmful carbon emissions.”
The crews are all following enhanced safety precautions to limit any and all exposure to Covid-19, including health and temperature checks prior and during the survey, strict on-boarding procedure, enhanced separation in addition to extensive cleaning and sanitation on each vessel.