Damen to Showcase Capabilities for US Offshore Wind Sector
Damen Shipyards Group will be present at the fourth annual US Offshore Wind 2019 Conference and Exhibition on June 10-11, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. Damen’s attendance reflects the company’s belief in the enormous potential of offshore wind in North America.
Damen has been an active player in the European offshore wind industry since its beginnings around a decade ago. Since then the company has built up a diverse portfolio of successful designs that can be deployed throughout the lifecycle of an offshore wind farm.
Productive vessels
Relevant Damen vessels for the North American market include 27-meter and 34-meter long versions of the Fast Crew Supplier (FCS) and the Accommodation Support Vessel (ASV) 9020. The FCS 2710 and FCS 3410 can respectively carry 24 up to 80 technical personnel to their offshore work place in safety and comfort. Both these vessels benefit from Damen’s Sea Axe hull design which, in terms of both seakeeping and fuel consumption, provides the best of both worlds. The first ASV 9020 proved to be an effective and highly productive ‘walk-to-work’ vessel so swiftly that the launching customer ordered a second ship within a year of operations.
Jones Act
The Jones Act is another US-specific issue that Damen has several years’ experience with. To this end, the company has embraced the Jones Act by forming cooperative relationships with local American yards that have the capacity to build Damen designs. This process of building Damen vessels in local yards is called Damen Technical Cooperation (DTC).
The combination of Damen’s proven vessel designs and local construction methods will give the emerging North American offshore wind industry the means to benefit from the learning curve that the European offshore wind industry has experienced.
US Offshore Wind Confex
The US Offshore Wind Conference and Exhibition is the largest offshore wind event in North America. Moreover, this year’s edition is due to be the largest yet, with around 60 different exhibitors and more than 100 speakers attending. Damen will have a botth and both Daan Dijxhoorn and David Stibbe will be present.