Offshore Wonders

 

What a year for boats!

As many Maritime Executive readers no doubt realize, I consider myself a boat nerd. Having run away to sea at 18, I discovered both a wide world and the best way to get around it.

I’ve sailed, shipped and even steamed on waters near and far, and despite many differences the one constant was a capable vessel under my feet.

Even after I “came ashore,” I’ve kept close to the water and have had the pleasure of surveying a huge variety of vessels. There are very few newbuild vessels in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, for example, that I haven’t been on, and I write these words onboard a specialized heavy-lift cargo vessel in the Caribbean during a break in the project due to afternoon rains.

All that is to say I love boats, their design, capabilities and potential. The offshore renewables market is especially innovative, and it’s with great pleasure that I recap some of the noteworthy newbuilds and soon-to-launch vessels of the year.

ECO Edison

First up is the first Jones Act-compliant service operations vessel (SOV), ECO Edison.

Built at Edison Chouest Offshore’s (ECO) in-house shipyards in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida with components sourced from 34 states, the ECO Edison was constructed by more than 600 workers completing nearly one million working hours. The state-of-the-art, 262-foot-long vessel immediately went to work for Ørsted, serving as a floating, year-round home base for 60 of the first American offshore wind turbine technicians, who are servicing and maintaining the massive offshore turbines off the U.S. East Coast. 

It includes special features like an Ulmatec 47-inch-wide, walk-to-work, motion-compensated gangway, which includes an Alimak elevator with 4,400-pound lifting capacity that allows technicians to easily and safely cross up to 60 feet of water to access the wind turbines. A smaller daughter craft on board can be deployed to efficiently move crew within the field.

Providing power are four Caterpillar 3512E, 1,700kW generators that meet stringent EPA Tier IV emission standards. In a departure from the azimuth thrusters most often seen in the U.S. offshore, the ECO Edison instead uses twin Voith Schneider propellers. This cyclorotor design (think eggbeaters under the ship) can provide instantaneous thrust in any direction and is known for its extreme maneuverability.

Three Brunvoll tunnel thrusters at 1,250kW each complete the propulsion package forward.

“You can make the boat do whatever you want it to do,” Captain Taylor Apollonio says. “It takes the environmental conditions out of the equation because it has so much power.”

Purus Chinook

Across the ocean in Norway another groundbreaking vessel is nearing completion.

The Purus Chinook is a Vard-designed C/SOV (construction service operations vessel) that has already landed a multiyear contract with Vestas that will begin as soon as the vessel is launched early next year.

The cutting-edge design ensures it will meet the highest industry standards for offshore service, safety and hybrid battery technology to lower emissions and reduce engine hours. The Purus Chinook has the capacity to house up to 120 people at industry leading comfort-class and sea-keeping standards and also offers an all-electric gangway, 18-meter helideck, 5+ ton 3D motion-compensated crane and next-generation Chartwell 12 passenger daughter craft. 

And just this past month Purus began cutting steel on the Purus Coriolis, which will be the second C/SOV in the expanding fleet. This one is scheduled for delivery in 2026 and should boast a similar set of amenities to the Chinook.

Both vessels are optioned with dual-fuel, methanol-ready propulsion systems, targeted for potential implementation starting in 2027.

WindServe CTVs from Senesco Marine

Another type of boat of key importance to the offshore wind industry is the crew transfer vessel (CTV).

These are fast and sleek. Typically constructed from aluminum using a catamaran hull design, they require extensive investment in tooling and technology and specialized experience to build. In the U.S. market, Senesco Marine brings this experience to the forefront.

Operating from a World War II Naval Air Station, the New England-based shipyard features a 1,200'x 80' pier with a depth of 28', originally designed to berth aircraft carriers, plus the only two drydocks in Rhode Island.

The yard recently completed the last CTV of a six-vessel package for WindServe Marine, which will provide crew transfer support to East Coast wind projects.

The first four builds all measured in at 88.6' x 29.5' x 5.6' and can carry up to 24 offshore technicians. They’re fitted with Volvo Penta D13 main engines, each rated 690 hp at 2,300 rpm, and a Volvo Penta IPS 900 propulsion system. This allows for a service speed of 24 knots and a top speed of 27 knots.

The final two CTVs received an additional six feet to accommodate “hybrid-ready” battery capabilities.

Senesco President Ted Williams (recently interviewed in the May/June issue of The Maritime Executive) is committed to further investment in the yard’s technological capabilities, such as those recently made to support advanced aluminum fabrication techniques, which will further allow them to support “…more complex builds (including Department of Defense work) as well as future technologies such as composite materials and alternative energy propulsions systems.”

The yard also recently delivered the first-ever hybrid ferries in New England, further cementing its commitment to sustainable shipping and environmental stewardship.

“Senesco has become a national leader in green and blue energy builds as well as in developing a robust deck barge fleet in the near future,” says Williams. “We look forward to 2025 and beyond for the increased opportunities coming to the region.”

GLDD and the SRI Acadia

While SOVs and CTVs house and transport crew to the wind turbines, what goes on under the water is equally as important.

Scour protection is a vital part of offshore construction. It consists of strategic rock placement which protects against “scour” – water-powered erosion around the base of subsea structures such as offshore turbines. This stabilizes the seafloor and ensures the full service life of the asset.

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock (GLDD), the leading provider of dredging services in the U.S., is currently building the first U.S.-flagged, Jones Act-compliant, subsea rock installation vessel (SRI) at Philly Shipyards in Philadelphia.

The Ulstein-designed SRI Acadia will carry a SUSTAIN-2 ABS notation, which recognizes adherence to U.S. Sustainable Development goals related to vessel design, outfitting and layout. It will further be fitted with state-of-the-art technology including a Battery Energy Storage System to reduce emissions, biofuel ready engines and a shore power connection allowing the vessel to be plugged in while in port to achieve full zero emissions.

Other design features include Work-Class ROV capabilities, a loading capacity of 20,000mT (2 x 10,000mT bins), DP-2 control system, advanced multi-beam sonar and a heave-compensated fall pipe for rock placement operations.

The vessel represents part of a critical advance in building the future of U.S. offshore wind that includes establishing a U.S.-based rock supply network spanning eastern seaboard states with active offshore wind leases, which is expected to spur additional job growth and regional economic opportunities.

It should also be noted that GLDD recently received the prestigious 2024 Significant Boat of the Year Award at the International WorkBoat Show for its newly launched Multi Cat dredge support vessels, Cape Hatteras and Cape Canaveral. The award underscores the company’s commitment to safety, innovation and operational excellence in the dredging and maritime sectors as well as its commitment to building world-class vessels.

With the construction of the Acadia, GLDD is literally helping to build the foundation for U.S. offshore wind.

Damn Fine Boats

The offshore wind sector can only be as successful as the vessels and crews that build and service it.

The examples here showcase the innovation and aspirations of both new and established market entrants utilizing the latest technology to achieve operational success while aggressively driving toward international emissions goals.

And they all build damn fine boats.  

Sean Hogue is Senior Vice President at Baker Marine Solutions.