American firm details plans for a Jones Act compliant offshore wind subsea rock installation vessel
NASDAQ-listed Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation (GLDD) is moving forward with the design and development of the first US-flagged Jones Act compliant, inclined fallpipe vessel for subsea rock installation as America gears up for greater offshore wind farm installations. The ship will be built in the Gulf Coast area.
“US offshore wind’s potential growth could be a true economic stimulus for America. We believe this is the optimal time for us to leverage our extensive specialised vessel expertise to enter this exciting market now coming to the United States,” said Lasse Petterson, GLDD’s CEO and president. “We are initiating this project because we firmly believe that a Jones Act compliant offshore wind subsea rock installation vessel is a critical foundational piece required to advance the US offshore wind energy industry. We are committed to safe and sustainable operations and excited to make history with this landmark vessel.”
GLDD has engaged Ulstein Design and Solutions for the vessel’s conceptual and regulatory design engineering with an aim to get the ship launched and working in early 2024.
“We applaud GLDD’s foresight and decisive action in entering this potentially transformative new industry in its early days. Their new vessel will complete another major piece of the offshore wind industry puzzle,” said Liz Burdock, CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “This milestone brings our nation one step closer to realising the substantial benefits from clean energy including the economic growth from projects, supply chain development, and job creation.”
