Empire Wind selects plug-in hybrid SOV

The vessel will be the first in the US offshore wind sector capable of sailing partly on battery power.

It will accommodate up to 60 wind turbine technicians and will be used for operations and maintenance of the Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2 offshore wind farms. The charter agreement has a fixed period of 10 years, with commencement in the mid-2020s.

The US-flagged vessel will be Jones Act compliant and have its home port at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in New York.

The plug-in hybrid vessel will sail into the port of SBMT on battery power, recharge the battery using shore power and sail out of New York Harbor. It is certified to Tier 4 emissions standards.

The SOV will be constructed with components from Edison Chouest Offshore’s extensive supplier base across 34 US states. The supplier estimates that this will generate over 250 high-skilled US jobs during vessel construction. Edison Chouest Offshore is also dedicating considerable effort and resources to recruiting and training vessel crew from the New York region and will operate the vessel from their New York office.

Empire Wind is being developed by Equinor and bp through their 50-50 strategic partnership in the US. It is located 15-30 miles southeast of Long Island and spans 80,000 acres, with water depths of between approximately 75 and 135 feet. The lease was acquired in 2017. The projects two phases, Empire Wind 1 and 2, have a total installed capacity of more than 2 GW (816 + 1,260 MW).

The project will be a major contributor to meeting New York State’s ambitious clean energy and climate goals. When completed, Empire Wind 1 and 2 will power more than 1 million New York homes.

A first SOV

Edison Chouest Offshore has already commenced building another SOV which will be the first of its kind that is Jones Act-qualified. The vessel, Eco Edison, will be delivered in 2024 and immediately provide operational support out of Port Jefferson, New York, for Ørsted and Eversource’s joint venture offshore wind portfolio, which includes South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind.

Caterpillar Marine, GE Power Conversion and Voith Schneider will provide the power and propulsion systems. The vessel will be powered by four Caterpillar 3512E EPA Tier 4 gensets, each rated for 1700 ekW. The latest generation of Voith Schneider Propellers, featuring integrated permanent magnet motors, are utilised for propulsion. The thrusters also feature roll reduction and sleep mode, maximizing station keeping, active motion compensated gangway workability and comfort. The vessel will also be equipped with extensive remote monitoring and support capability provided by Marine Technologies. The vessel is also being constructed to incorporate future zero-carbon emission technology to assist in reaching carbon-neutral goals.