The national news media is more focused on what is going on in Washington D.C. than in the advances being made by the renewable energy industry in fueling our economic growth. And the announcement by Zentech on June 28 will have far-reaching effects on the American economy.
So what in the world is a four-legged, self-propelled dynamically positioned level 2 (DP2) jack-up vessel? If you have seen videos or pictures of wind turbines being installed in the waters offshore around the world, then you have also seen one of the jack-up vessels.
Jack-up vessels or jack-up rigs, as they are sometimes called, have many uses. With the rig, wrecked ships and oil and gas platforms can be dismantled. And conversely, offshore wind turbines and petroleum company platforms can be installed.
Zentech plans to use an American-built barge. They will install four truss legs with spud cans, an already proven design used by the oil and gas industry, all integrated onto the new hull.
In 2016, when the first U.S. offshore wind farm was being constructed off the coast of Rhode Island, Block Island Wind Farm’s developer, Deepwater Wind had to use Europe-based Fred Olsen Windcarrier’s Brave Tern to install the wind turbines because the U.S. didn’t have a boat large enough to install the vessels.
Here is where the Jones Act comes into play
So, the Brave Tern was brought over from Europe to install the turbines, but it was not allowed to touch the American shore, based on U.S. regulations contained in the Jones Act, This meant that all equipment and supplies had to be brought out to the Brave Tern on U.S. flagged vessels, adding to the cost of the wind farm.
The Jones Act, also known as The Merchant Marine Act of 1920, is the foundation for protectionist cabotage laws that govern shipping in the United States. The law was passed with the intention of preserving national interests and providing for national defense by supporting the U.S. merchant marine.
Cabotage refers to the transport of goods or passengers between two places in the same country by a transport operator from another country. While initially referring to sea travel, the Jones Act has been expanded to include aviation, railways, and road transport as well.
Basically, the Jones Act requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. Needless to say, there has been discussion over the years on revoking or even altering the Jones Act because of its purported stifling of the U.S. economy.
The Jones Act compliant jack-up vessel
The new vessel has been designed to be compliant with the Jones Act and discussions are already being held with U.S. shipyards in the Gulf and along the East Coast. The vessel’s design will allow it to be navigable along the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier that lies across New Bedford and Fairhaven Harbor about 50 miles south of Boston.
Zentech says the vessel will carry and install components for at least three complete 6-9 megawatts (MW) range wind turbines, while the vessel’s jacking system will be rated at a capacity of 16,000 tons, extending the unit’s service life. With this configuration, up to four 8MW range, fully assembled wind turbines can be installed using a patented cantilever package.
“With large-scale offshore wind projects following Block Island, the U.S. market requires forward-looking marine logistics,” said Andy Geissbuehler, Managing Partner of Renewable Resources International, according to Renewable Energy World.
“U.S.-made, domestically accessible and designed in concert with the advanced European offshore wind industry, this vessel conversion is another example of the important role the U.S. oil and gas Industry will play in accelerating the US offshore wind industry.”
The vessel is expected to be ready by the last quarter of 2018, with the vessel constructed utilizing US-built components such as barge, legs, spud cans and propulsion. World Maritime News writes that “with addressing the offshore wind industry’s Jones Act challenge, the US built vessel is expected to contribute to the revival of the nation’s shipbuilding industry and port infrastructure.”
