Keel laid for first Jones Act compliant offshore wind installation vessel

Dominion Energy has laid the keel for the first Jones Act compliant installation vessel for the U.S. offshore wind sector.

The vessel, designed by GustoMSC, is being constructed by Keppel AmFELS at its Brownsville, Texas shipyard.

It will base operations out of Hampton Roads in Virginia and is expected to be available to support turbine installation by the end of 2023

“This is a monumental step for the offshore wind industry in America,” said Robert M. Blue, Dominion Energy’s President and CEO.

“Dominion Energy is proud to be leading a consortium of respected industry participants in the construction of the first Jones Act compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessel, which will provide significant American jobs, and provide a reliable, home-grown installation solution with the capacity to handle the next generation of large-scale, highly-efficient turbine technologies.”

The vessel’s hull has a length of 472 feet, a width of 184 feet and a depth of 38 feet, making it one of the biggest vessels of its kind in the world, Dominion Energy said.

It has accommodations for up to 119 people and will be equipped to handle all current turbine technologies, as well as next-generation turbines with a capacity of 12 MW and more.

Huisman will supply the crane with a boom length of 426 feet and an expected lifting capacity of 2,200 tons.