Renewable Energy Industry News

New York officials on Thursday awarded provisional contracts to two proposed offshore wind projects under a program meant to support the embattled industry and keep the state's clean energy goals on track.The state selected a planned 810-megawatt project, Empire Wind 1, (developed by Equinor) and Sunrise Wind, a planned 924-megawatt project (developed by Orsted and Eversource).The closely watched solicitation by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)…

Lifting specialist KenzFigee has signed a contract with Aker Solutions for the supply of an offshore pedestal crane destined for the Norfolk Vanguard West offshore wind farm developed by Vattenfall.The delivery involves an electric hydraulic box boom offshore Ram Luffing 2400 type with a SWL of 20t, designed and manufactured by KenzFigee for installation on the Norfolk Vanguard high-voltage, direct current converter station situated off the coast of Norfolk, UK.The crane is designed and verified in accordance with EN13852-1 and certified to DNVGL-ST-0378 lifting requirements…

Belgium-based offshore survey services provider GEOxyz announced it has opened its first office in the United States, located in New Brunswick, N.J., as it expands to serve the offshore wind energy industry on the U.S. East Coast"The renewable energy industry in the U.S. is an important market in full expansion and we are thrilled to establish a presence here," said Patrick Reyntjens, CEO of GEOxyz. "We have extensive experience in offshore surveying and we are eager to provide…

An offshore wind hub is coming to the site of the former Avondale Shipyard in Louisiana as the region ramps up to service the growing renewable energy industry in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.New Orleans-based Gulf Wind Technology (GWT) announced Monday it is collaborating with energy supermajor Shell to establish a research, training and technology demonstration program at GWT’s facility within the Avondale Global Gateway in Jefferson Parish.The news comes after the Biden administration…

A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) announces an intended acquisition for its subsidiary Maersk Training of the Norwegian company, ResQ, a supplier of safety training and emergency preparedness in Norway.ResQ has five survival centers in Norway to cater for training in the North Sea and offers more than 70 course titles, while the crisis management part consists of a full emergency response setup. ResQ has 67 permanent employees and over 300 temporary resources spread across the country."ResQ is a well-managed business with renowned competencies within training services.

Within the maritime sector not enough attention is paid to maritime subcontracting. And yet, it is as important as the main contracts that maritime main contractors conclude with their clients, such as shipping companies and buyers of superyachts. The same applies to the oil & gas and renewable energy industry. Thomas van Tol, co-founder of The Synergy Partner, writes: "As many maritime main contractors do not conclude contracts with their subcontractors in the right way, they take major risks for themselves as well as for their clients. Most of the time they are not aware of it.

Singapore-based offshore shipping, shipbuilding, and ship maintenance company Marco Polo Marine has partnered up with green tech ship design company Seatech Solutions International to co-develop two new specialized offshore wind service, operation, and maintenance vessel and the commissioning Service Operation Vessel (CSOV), for the global offshore wind farm market. When completed, these vessels will be the first SOV and CSOV designed in Asia, Marco Polo Marine said. Worth noting…

German renewable energy industry giant RWE, in partnership with Commercial Rib Charters (CRC), is building "a world-first" amphibious vessel for reaching offshore wind farms in shallow waters."The unique crew transfer vessel has initially been designed to reach turbines at Scroby Sands [wind farm in the UK ], which have become stranded by the natural rising tide of the sandbank on which it is built. The fully seaworthy vessel, which can also drive on land, provides a unique access solution for some of the industry’s first-generation assets affected by very dynamic seabed conditions…

Offshore installation firm Jan De Nul Group said Monday that its next-gen offshore jack-up installation vessel for offshore renewables and decommissioning had been launched at the COSCO Shipping Shipyard in Nantong, China. According to the vessel owner, the Voltaire will be the second and largest jack-up vessel in Jan De Nul’s fleet, and able to support the renewable energy industry to build next-generation offshore wind farms. The Voltaire, built to transport, lift and install offshore wind turbines…

Denmark-based BMS Heavy Cranes has ordered a 3,000mt Ringer Crane, with an option for a second unit from the Dutch crane maker Huisman.According to Huisman, the crane setup has been optimized for operations in the wind industry. With the capability to lift components of 1,200mt at heights of up to 225m, and heavy structures of 3000mt at a reduced height, the crane will ready BMS for installation of the next generation of wind turbines on and offshore and on floating foundations, Huisman said."The crane is also well suited to operations in other industries.

Bonheur, a Norwegian holding company for the Olsen family, has established Fred. Olsen 1848, described as a company dedicated to developing technologies and solutions for the renewable energy industry."In Fred. Olsen 1848 we are determined to act now, and we aim to be the frontrunner in developing tomorrow’s technologies within renewables and thereby becoming the preferred partner for businesses and organizations looking for the right solution.” Sofie Olsen Jebsen, CEO, Fred. Olsen 1848.According to a press statement issued Tuesday, Fred.

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE), the world’s largest supplier of offshore wind turbines, won the order for Dominion Energy’s 2,640-megawatt project off the coast of Virginia, U.S.A.According to a press release from the Spanish-based engineering company company, this is the largest offshore wind power project in the rapidly increasing U.S. market to date.A long-term service and maintenance agreement is included for the site located off the coast of Virginia. The agreement furthermore foresees utilizing turbines from Siemens Gamesa’s Direct Drive offshore wind turbine platform.The final number of units and turbine model remain to be determined. All installations are expected to complete by 2026.

Renewables recruitment outfit ERSG has opened an office in Tokyo, Japan and has appointed Samuel Griffiths as country manager.Samuel has lived in Tokyo for 20 years and has been recruiting in the Japanese market for more than 15 years, he is therefore ideally placed to head up their Tokyo office. He will be supporting the business in the renewables and engineering sectors across the APAC region."The Tokyo office compliments ersg’s first move into Asia via Taipei, Taiwan last year and cements their position as market leaders in delivering highly specialized local recruitment solutions to the global renewable energy industry," said a release from the specialist energy recruitment company.According to IRENAs Future of Wind report Asia is poised to become the world’s dominant wind market…

What will COVID-19 mean for the offshore wind industry? An industry not yet spinning on its own.Epitomized by the roller coaster ride that defined the stock market over the last few weeks, unpredictability has emerged as one of the few certainties of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis. Every industry has seen the effects of the pandemic, from hospitality, to travel, and even to the renewable energy sector. Indeed, even though the US offshore wind industry is not yet fully established…

The second of Damen’s Accommodation Support Vessel (ASV) 9020 has been delivered to Bibby Marine Services at Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania. On her arrival in the North Sea, the Bibby WaveMaster Horizon will begin maintenance work off the coast of Germany on two EnBW and Enbridge-owned windfarms– Hohe See and Albatros – for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and EnBW.The 90-meter ASV 9020 was developed by Damen to meet the specific needs of the offshore renewable energy industry…

Jan De Nul Group’s new Offshore Jack-Up Installation Vessel (JUV) Voltaire – built at COSCO Shipyard in Qidong, China, and set set to be delivered in 2022 – will be powered by propulsion solutions from SCHOTTEL. The four rudderpropellers and two transverse thrusters provided by SCHOTTEL are part of the vessel’s thruster setup which will ensure optimal propulsion efficiency as well as maximum maneuverability. With a payload of approximately 14,000 metric tons and a crane capacity of over 3…

The U.S House of Representatives passed the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act (H.R. 4447) aiming to reform U.S. energy policy and authorize significant investment in the transition to greater use of low-carbon energy.The legislation, which addresses a wide range of energy topics and initiatives, includes an amendment by Congressman John Garamendi (D-Calif.) which would enforce Jones Act requirements for all offshore wind development, construction, production and servicing.The amendment clarifies that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act…

Engineering X – an international collaboration founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Lloyd’s Register Foundation – has awarded nearly £1 million ($1.2 million) in grants to six projects in the U.K. and overseas aimed at tackling the complex social, environmental and engineering challenges of decommissioning ships and offshore structures.From training to improve worker safety in ship recycling facilities in Bangladesh, to assessing the risks of structural failure of decommissioned offshore structures…

Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd (Keppel O&M) said Friday it had secured a contract valued at approximately S$600 million (USD 442 million) in the offshore renewable energy industry.Sharing the news on Friday, Keppel gave little details on the client and the type of order. It said that the contract was with "an energy company" for the engineering, procurement, and construction of "a vessel for the offshore renewable energy industry."Keppel did not say when the vessel "for the offshore renewable energy industry" - most likely for offshore wind…

Ocean transportation services company Dship Carriers has said it has transported a 750-metric-ton Pile Installation Frame (PIF), measuring 33.5 x 33.5 x 29 meters, as well as other offshore and seabed equipment from Rotterdam, the Netherlands to An Ping, Taiwan.The delivery is part of a contract awarded by offshore installation services company Seaway 7 for an offshore windfarm project. Dship Carriers delivered the goods using its recently acquired MV Bruce multi-purpose heavy lift vessel."With a 75-meter-long main cargo hold…

Tekmar Energy, the developer and manufacturer of sub-sea cable protection systems for the renewable energy industry, announced that international marine contractor Van Oord has selected the patented Tekmar Cable Protection System (CPS) TekLink Mechanical Latch for Windpark Fryslân.According to a press note from the Tekmar Group Company, said Windpark Fryslân is a 382MW near-shore windfarm comprising 89 wind turbines. It is located six kilometers off the Frisian coast in the Netherlands.Once constructed it is expected to power around 500,000 households in the region and will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm in inland water.Tekmar Energy is providing 167 cable protection systems for the infield array cables…

Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) and Rawabi Vallianz Offshore Services (RVOS) on Tuesday announced a joint venture to offer third-party ship management services to the offshore sector in Saudi Arabia.The deal was announced during the  ADIPEC Exhibition in Abu Dhabi."The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has some of the world’s largest oil reserves and a mature extraction industry supported by an established offshore service chain. With a fleet of more than 40 offshore vessels, Rawabi Vallianz Offshore Services is one of the leading suppliers of offshore vessels within this market.

The Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) announced Capt. Michael R. Burns Jr. as the first Executive Director of the Academy’s Maritime Center for Responsible Energy (MCRE). In this new role, Capt. Burns will oversee the MCRE that was established in August 2021 to deliver training to the renewable energy industry, develop robust, collaborative relationships with renewable energy stakeholders, and coordinate all the Academy's renewable energy efforts. Capt. Burns will lead all aspects of the Center’s work…