Edison Chouest Offshore seals long-term SOV charter with Orsted and Eversource

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) has been awarded a long-term charter by Orsted and Eversource for the provision of the first-ever US-flagged Jones Act service operations vessel (SOV).

The SOV will be engineered, constructed and operated by ECO at the Revolution Wind, South Fork Wind and Sunrise Wind offshore wind farms in the northeast of the United States. It will be utilised during the operation and maintenance phases of the projects, serving as an at sea base of operations.

“The offshore wind energy industry is generally well developed and understood, particularly in Europe where an enormous industry has developed over decades, but this industry is in an initial stage in the United States. There is an unprecedented opportunity, with twelve offshore wind projects planned, an additional ten offshore wind leases signed, and another six wind leases awaiting award. In aggregate, there is a pipeline of well over 25 thousand megawatts of power to be produced by over 1,700 wind turbines, across thirteen states, and in various stages of development that will require an incredible array of vessels, resources, knowledge, and capital commitment to install, operate, and repair,” said Gary Chouest, president of Edison Chouest Offshore.

The vessel will be over 260 feet long and capable of housing 60 passengers.

“This is an incredible moment for the American offshore wind industry,” said Thomas Brostrøm, CEO of Orsted North America, Offshore. “It is hard to state what this moment means for this new, multi- billion-dollar industry. The SOV is not only a crucial part of our plans to build out and operate our Northeast Wind Farms, but it represents just how far reaching the economic impacts of offshore wind can be; offshore wind means massive investments for U.S. companies and jobs for American workers, even those in states without active projects.”