First U.S. Offshore Wind Installation Vessel to Be Built with Oil and Gas Expertise

Aug. 28, 2017

Marine engineering firm Zentech Incorporated teamed up with Renewable Resources International to announce the build of the “first Jones Act-compliant jack-up vessel based on a U.S.-built barge.” The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, requires that all seafaring vessels transporting goods to and from U.S. ports must be built in the United States and owned by U.S. citizens—and this requirement also applies to transporting offshore wind farm components. With only one offshore wind farm installed in the United States, it previously may not have made sense for companies to pursue constructing a Jones Act-compliant vessel. During construction of the Block Island Wind Farm, developers utilized a vessel from Norway that never docked at U.S. ports and was jacked up 3 miles north of Block Island, Rhode Island. Many offshore wind projects are now planned for U.S. waters, however. According to Zentech, the company’s proposed vessel will provide the U.S. offshore wind industry with a “cost competitive marine logistic solution,” incorporating “conclusions from the European offshore wind learning curve.” The vessel will also act as an oil and gas crane jack-up for decommissioning when not in service for installing and maintaining wind turbines.