French Offshore Wind Sector Impacted by Government Crisis
Offshore wind developers and equipment suppliers are bracing for a slowdown in business in France where a political crisis has stalled changes to the country's energy framework and government tenders.The threat of a further hit to France's economy comes after data released on Friday shows business activity declined faster than expected in October.President Emmanuel Macron has churned through six prime ministers in two years as a fractured legislature struggles to agree on a belt-tightening budget.
Second Hai Long Substation Heads to Project Site Offshore Taiwan
Consortium partners Semco Maritime and PTSC M&C have completed the load-out and sail-away of the second and last offshore substation for the Hai Long Offshore wind project in Taiwan.The load-out and sail-away of the second substation for Hai Long 3 offshore wind farm, which took place on March 8, 2025, comes almost a year after the first substation for Hai Long 2 was delivered to the project site.The project exceeds 1 GW and consists of Hai Long 2 and Hai Long 3 wind farms in the Taiwan Strait 45-70 kilometers off the coast and is jointly developed by Mitsui & Co…
Beacon Offshore’s Shenandoah FPS Reaches US Ahead of Deepwater Installation
The Shenandoah floating production system (FPS) has been transported to the Gulf of America ahead of wet tow and offshore installation at the Shenandoah deepwater field at Walker Ridge project site, developed by Texas-based exploration and production company Beacon Offshore Energy.On December 13, 2024 the Shenandoah FPS sailed away from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, where it was built.COSCO Shipping and Guangzhou Salvage Heavy Transport (CSGS) delivered the Beacon Offshore Energy’s Shenandoah FPS to Ingleside…
New Bunkering Service Debuts in Canadian Port
The port of Prince Rupert has welcomed the startup of Wolverine Terminals’ marine bunkering service for deep sea shipping, adding a key logistical capability to this strategic deepwater port on the west coast of Canada. Using a unique pair of barges designed by Robert Allan Ltd., Wolverine Terminals can deliver a wide range of fuels to suit the needs of vessels calling at the port, including marine diesel, heavy, intermediate, and other blends to individual customer specifications.The Wolverine Terminals fleet is composed of a transloading barge and a fuel delivery (lightering) barge.
Boskalis to Bolster Fleet with ‘Largest Subsea Rock Installation Vessel in Industry’
Dutch marine services firm Boskalis has announced the latest addition to its fleet, a giant subsea rock installation (SRI) vessel with a cargo capacity of 45,500 metric tons, which is set for delivery in the first quarter of 2026.The vessel, named Windpiper, will be the largest SRI vessel in the industry, according to Boskalis.The Windpiper is set to play an important role in facilitating the energy transition working on offshore wind projects, with the ship’s first projects are…
DEME to Build Offshore Wind Terminal in German Port
DEME has been awarded a contract, worth up to $52 million, for the construction of an offshore wind terminal in the Port of Cuxhaven in Germany.The terminal will boost Cuxhaven’s position as a key offshore industrial hub to support the handling of heavy-duty loads, particularly components for offshore wind farms.Operated by Niedersachsen Ports (NPorts), the expanded offshore wind terminal will consist of three (5-7) berths and 1,250 metres of quay wall for heavy loads, as well as a storage area of 38 hectare.As part of a consortium…
Alabama Shipyard to Repair USACE's Largest Hopper Dredge Wheeler
Mobile, Ala. ship repair yard Alabama Shipyard has been awarded a contract to repair the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) largest trailing suction hopper dredge, Wheeler.Alabama Shipyard was one of three bidders for the contract, winning the drydock and repair deal with its $11,466,912 bid. The contract was awarded by the Corps' New Orleans District, which owns and operates the dredge to keep waterway channels clear from Key West, Fla., to Brownsville, Texas.The repair work…
First Offshore Wind Turbine Stands Tall at US Revolution Wind Project
The first 11 MW Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbine, out of total 65 planned, has been installed at Ørsted’s 704 MW Revolution Wind offshore wind farm in the United States.Once in operation, Revolution Wind will have the capacity to generate 400 MW of clean power for Rhode Island and 304 MW for Connecticut, enough to power more than 350,000 homes and bring both states closer to reaching their climate targets.Meanwhile, offshore construction crews continue to make steady progress installing the foundations for the turbines…
Ørsted's Sunrise Wind Project Gets Final Approval
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Friday announced its approval of Ørsted’s construction and operations plan (COP) for the Sunrise Wind project, marking the final approval needed from the federal agency to move the project toward the start of offshore construction.New York’s largest offshore wind project, the 924 MW Sunrise Wind project will to be located south of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., and east of Block Island, R.I.The COP approval outlines the project’s one nautical mile wind turbine spacing…
Black & Veatch Completes Feasibility Study for Colombia’s New LNG Terminal
Black & Veatch has completed a feasibility study for the planned Andes Energy Terminal, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification terminal and power plant.The study assessed site suitability, project design requirements, capital and operating costs, financial viability, financing options, climate resilience, and implementation and construction plans.Beginning with a site assessment that focused on the landscape of the area, regulatory restrictions and accessibility, the study…
Five Turbines Power Up at Vineyard Wind
Renewable energy firm Avangrid and fund manager Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners said on Thursday their joint venture, Vineyard Wind 1, has begun operations at five of its wind turbines, supplying 68 megawatts (MW) to the New England grid.Currently, the project has successfully installed nine turbines and is in the process of installing the 10th, with preparations underway to transport the 11th turbine to the offshore project site.Offshore wind projects in the U.S.
Offshore Wind: Great Lakes Awarded Another Rock Install Job
U.S.-based dredging and marine services company Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation on Monday announced it has been awarded a third rock installation contract to perform subsea rock cable protection on an offshore wind project off the East Coast of the United States. The project remains subject to the client’s final investment decision (FID).Great Lakes will use the first Jones Act compliant subsea rock installation vessel, the Acadia, currently under construction at Philly Shipyard in the U.S. to execute the project. The project scope includes procurement of rock from our U.S.
First Turbine Installed at South Fork Wind Off New York
The first turbine has been installed at the South Fork Wind Farm offshore New York, developer Ørsted announced on Monday.The first of South Fork Wind’s 12 Siemens Gamesa wind turbine generators was hoisted into place by the offshore construction team at the project site 35 miles off Montauk, N.Y. Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel, the Aeolus, is installing the turbines. Turbine installation involves using a crane to place the steel turbine tower onto the foundation. The nacelle and rotor are then installed on top of the tower.
Making Hydrogen Work: Demo Project in San Francisco Port
Hornblower Energy LLC, in partnership with the Port of San Franciso, the U.S. Department of Energy and six corporate partners, including Air Liquide and Glosten, is leading a project to demonstrate the feasibility and viability of using hydrogen (H2) as a maritime fuel.The project is located at Pier 68 in San Francisco. DOE selected the project for funding in 2020. It’s supposed to be completed in 2025 but there are important decision dates before then. So far, project activities have concentrated on planning and modeling.
First US-Built Offshore Wind Substation Sets Sail
Offshore wind developers Ørsted and Eversource marked the sailaway of the first U.S.-built offshore wind substation, which departed a Texas fabrication facility Wednesday. The substation is transiting across the Gulf of Mexico and then up the East Coast for installation at the South Fork Wind project site in a few weeks.Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd. (Kiewit), the largest offshore fabricator in the U.S., designed and built the substation, which will be deployed at Ørsted and Eversource’s South Fork Wind project serving Long Island…
US Department of Energy Releases Offshore Wind Strategy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released its Offshore Wind Energy Strategy, a first of its kind, comprehensive summary of the Department’s efforts to meet President Biden’s goal to deploy 30GW of offshore wind energy by 2030.The strategy aims to set the nation on a pathway to 110GW or more by 2050.Deploying 30GW of offshore wind would provide enough power for 10 million homes, support 77,000 jobs, and spur $12 billion per year in direct private investment, says the DOE.The…
New Offshore Wind Crew Transfer Vessel Launched in UK
Marine engineering consultancy BAR Technologies on Wednesday held the official launch of its first BARTech 30 crew transfer vessel (CTV) from its premises on The Camber, Portsmouth, UK.BAR Technologies, Chair, Martin Whitmarsh - also Chair of the Offshore Wind Growth Partnership – led his BAR Technologies colleagues to officially hand over the first vessel of its type to its owner Seacat Services.As part of the launch, the vessel was officially named ‘Seacat Columbia’ by Ian Baylis…
Chevron Enters U.S. Gulf of Mexico CCS JV
Oil major Chevron has closed the transaction to enter a U.S. Gulf of Mexico carbon capture and storage joint venture with Talos Energy and Carbonvert.The companies on Tuesday announced the execution of definitive documentation and closing of the expanded joint venture to develop the Bayou Bend CCS offshore carbon capture and sequestration hub, effective May 1, 2022.Under the terms of the transaction, Chevron has acquired a 50 percent stake in the expanded Bayou Bend CCS joint venture for a gross consideration of $50 million to Talos and Carbonvert…
New York’s First Offshore Wind Farm: Ørsted, Eversource Sanction 130MW South Fork Wind Project
Ørsted and Eversource have taken the final investment decision (FID) on the South Fork Wind project that will be New York’s first offshore wind farm. The FID comes after the South Fork Wind joint venture, owned 50/50 by Ørsted and Eversource, last month received final approval from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for its construction and operations plan, the final in the agency’s review of the project. Once completed at the end of 2023, the 130MW offshore wind farm will generate enough electricity to power 70…
Construction of New York’s First Offshore Wind Farm Set to Start as Final Approval Granted
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has granted Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for the South Fork Wind, New York’s first offshore wind farm, Ørsted confirmed Thursday. This is the final decision needed from the agency to move the project toward the start of construction. The approximately 130 MW South Fork Wind project, owned by the Danish firm Orsted AS and U.S. company Eversource Energy, will be located about 19 miles (30.58 km) southeast of Block Island…
Scotland's Largest: First Turbine Installed at Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm
The first offshore wind turbine has been installed at Seagreen, an SSE-TotalEnergies project which will become Scotland’s largest and the world’s deepest fixed bottom offshore wind farm once complete.The installation of the first Vestas V164-10.0 MW turbine in the North Sea off the Scottish coast heralds the start of the turbine installation phase which will see a total of 114 wind turbines installed across the project site. This turbine is also the first V164-10.0 MW turbine installed globally…
ICMS Installs CTV Pontoon for Scotland’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm
Inland and Coastal Marina Systems (ICMS) said Tuesday it had installed a new 30-meter pontoon for the Montrose Port Authority to service the Seagreen Offshore Wind Farm, Scotland’s largest wind farm.The new 30m x 4.4m pontoon will allow safe berthing and access for crew transfer vessels (CTVs) to the new operations and maintenance (O&M) base for the wind farm which is currently under construction 27km off the coast of Angus."Located on Montrose Port’s South Quay, the new pontoon is topped with GRP decking suitable for a commercial application offering excellent anti-slip properties.
ABS: U.S. Offshore Wind Vessel Demand Set to Soar
It's no longer news that the U.S. is set to become the next big offshore wind market, with an IEA 2019 report forecasting 40 GW of installed offshore wind capacity in the country by 2040, which will require a $100 billion investment.To meet this expected growth, both in the fixed-bottom wind farms and the floating wind farms, the U.S. market will require a large amount of wind farm support vessels of various types, with the current fixed-bottom wind turbine installation fleet non-existent, and the foreign-flagged vessels not an option, for the most part.