Technology

First 'Made in America' rockdumper to sail for giant Equinor-BP US Atlantic wind project

Philly Shipyard to build $200m Jones Act-compliant vessel for Great Lakes Dredging for foundation support and cable protection at 2GW Empire Wind projects off New York

Empire Wind. Rendering of US-built rock laying vessel.
Empire Wind. Rendering of US-built rock laying vessel.Foto: Great Lakes Dredging
  • Tim Ferry

The Equinor-BP joint venture (JV) developing New York’s Empire Wind 1&2 offshore wind projects made its latest key supply chain investment by awarding the job of laying-in scour protection for the giant 2GW project’s foundations and export lines, an assignment that will see deployment of the country’s first-ever Jones Act-compliant rock-dumping vessel.

The contract won by US-based Great Lakes Dredging and Dutch marine contactor Van Oord encompasses installation of rock protection to stabilise the wind farm's monopile foundations, electrical substructures, and export cables.

“The consortium combines the experience of Van Oord with Great Lakes, the only US marine contractor to invest in building the first Jones Act-compliant fall-pipe vessel purpose built for the offshore wind market,” said Lasse Petterson, Great Lakes’ CEO.

The 461 foot (161 meter) rock laying vessel, under construction at the Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is expected to be delivered by the end of 2024 at a price of of $197m, with Great Lakes retaining the option for a second vessel for delivery by the end of 2025.

Philly Shipyard CEO Steinar Nerbovik said: “Philly Shipyard has a long-standing position as the leading US commercial shipyard for tankers and container ships. This win now carves a path into the expanding offshore wind market.”

Vessels are one of several key bottlenecks facing the offshore wind rollout in the US as it strives to meet the Biden administration’s 30GW by 2030 goal. The Jones Act, which prohibits foreign-flagged vessels from docking at two consecutive American ports, is a major hurdle for the still largely European industry, necessitating the construction or repurposing of American-built vessels.
The US House of Representatives passed an amendment to the Coast Guard authorisation bill that would further tighten restrictions on foreign-flagged vessels, adding impetus to the offshore wind shipbuilding effort.
A report published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that US will need at least five wind turbine installation vessels (WTIV) to meet demand, as well as four cable laying vessels, more than 13 service operations vessels, and at least two rock dumping vessels, of which this is the first.
The vessel will be used to strategically lay rocks as support for the monopile foundations that will hold Empire Wind’s 138 Vestas V236 15MW turbines as well as to provide scour protection for the three 230kV HVAC (high voltage alternating current) export cables that will connect the wind farm to the interconnection points in Long Island and Staten Island.
Damage to export cables is the leading cost for insurers of the offshore wind sector, according to research by renewable energy insurance firm GCube, and is often attributed to insufficient scour protection.
The Empire Wind JV has made a number of high profile investments recently, including a $250m investment into the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to be used for staging and assembly, as well as an announced tie-up with Danish shipping giant Maersk for project EPCI, including the deployment of US-built barges to feed components to an innovative wind turbine installation vessel.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the regulator of the offshore wind industry in federal waters, is reviewing Empire Wind's construction and operations plan, which it expects to approve in the second quarter of next year with construction commencing shortly afterward.

The 816MW Empire Wind 1, which obtained its offtake contract in 2018 from the New York Energy Research and Development Authority (Nyserda), is expected to be commissioned in December 2026. The 1.26GW Empire Wind 2 signed its purchase and sales agreement with Nyserda in January and will likely be commissioned in 2027.

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Published 5 May 2022, 19:14Updated 5 May 2022, 19:14
EquinorBPEmpire Wind Van OordGreat Lakes Dredging