First U.S. offshore wind vessel tailored to New Bedford – SouthCoastToday.com

Jennette Barnes @jbarnesnews

NEW BEDFORD A Texas company is building the nation's first offshore wind-turbine installation vessel and designing it to fit through the New Bedford hurricane barrier.

The move could ease concerns about not having a U.S.-flagged vessel that can transport turbine components in compliance with federal law.

Under the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, commonly called the Jones Act, a ship built or registered outside the United States cannot transport cargo from one U.S. port to another. A wind farm is considered a port.

When Deepwater Wind built America's first offshore wind farm off Block Island in 2015 and 2016, it used smaller U.S. vessels to transport turbine components out to the Norwegian-owned vessel Brave Tern, flagged out of Malta.

Jeffrey Grybowski, CEO of Deepwater Wind, said any increase in the industry's capacity is good.

"I think it's an important signal to the market overall that there is a vessel owner that is willing to invest in new capacity," he said.

Use of a ship like the Brave Tern, a self-propelled jack-up vessel with four legs, doesn't come cheap: The cost was roughly a quarter-million dollars a day, according to Grybowski and Paul Vigeant, executive director of the New Bedford Wind Energy Center.

Transferring turbine components from a smaller ship to the installation vessel only complicates the process and makes it more expensive, Vigeant said.

"You couldn't do this on a full, industrial-scale project," he said. The Block Island Wind Farm has five turbines.

But will an American ship cost less? That remains to be seen, according to Grybowski.

"Since we don't have a U.S.-flagged jack-up vessel, I don't know what that would cost," he said.

One or more winning bidders for a larger wind project off Massachusetts are expected to be identified by April 23. If Deepwater wins a contract, the company will certainly compare the cost of U.S. and foreign vessels, which could bring costs down, Grybowski said.

"It's a good development in the market. I don't think it will be the last development," he said.

Engineering company Zentech, of Houston, is constructing the vessel with U.S.-made components, including a barge, legs, and propulsion system.Renewable Resources International of Virginia is consulting on the work.

The ship will be able to carry and install components for at least three turbines of 6-9 megawatts each, according to a Zentech press release. The jacking system can handle 16,000 tons.

Zentech builds similar vessels for the oil and gas industry. When the new ship is not being used for offshore wind, it will decommission offshore oil and gas infrastructure, according to the release.

The press release indicates that the ship will be able to carry and install not only components, but also fully assembled turbines, "with evolving innovation."Whether that capacity will be present from the start or in the future was unclear. Zentech did not return a call seeking comment.

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell hailed the development as further proof that New Bedford will play a critical role in the nascent U.S. industry.

This major investment sends an unambiguous signal that the offshore wind industry is preparing for arrival in America, and New Bedford in particular," he said in an email. "It is one more step for the Port of New Bedford in establishing itself as a leading offshore wind port on the East Coast.

Craig Gilvarg, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, called the new vessel an important step forward.

Follow Jennette Barnes on Twitter @jbarnesnews.

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First U.S. offshore wind vessel tailored to New Bedford - SouthCoastToday.com