Empire Offshore Wind (JV Equinor and bp) has signed a contract with Maersk Supply Service to charter a new wind farm installation vessel (WIV), the press service of the Norwegian company said.
This vessel, along with US-built barges and tugs operated by Kirby Offshore Wind, will be used to install Vestas V236-15MW project turbines.
The new vessel is scheduled to be operational for Empire Wind 1 and 2 in mid-2020.
Equinor has worked closely with Maersk for many years on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, where it operates several Jack-up Drilling Rigs.
Empire Wind 1 and 2, part of the company’s portfolio of offshore wind projects off the US East Coast, are key building blocks to accelerate profitable renewable energy growth in the United States and Equinor’s ambition to install 12-16 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
The Maersk vessel will be supported by two newly built tugboats and a barge transporting wind turbine components from the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to the Empire Wind lease area, located 15 to 30 miles southeast of Long Island, New York.
The barges and tugs will be built and operated by Kirby Offshore Wind, a subsidiary of Kirby Corporation.
This concept ensures that the ship can remain in service while the barges constantly transport turbine components from the intermediate port.
When completed, Empire Wind 1 and 2 will power more than 1 million homes in New York.
This project will significantly contribute to the US and New York State’s low-carbon energy goals.