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OFFSHORE WIND 2015, with the Commonwealth hoping to serve projects barges, crew transfer vessels, feeder barges and more are all throughout the mid-Atlantic. abundant U.S. ships that offshore wind will put to work.”

For now, the turbine installation vessels, with capabili- Rules on Jones Act matters (for offshore oil and gas, and ties to lift up to 1,500 tons, are not Jones Act compliant; now offshore wind) continue to be a muddy area. Papavizas, foreign ? agged vessels are used. Another trade group the who heads Winston & Strawn maritime practice, wrote, re-

AWEA was active in removing “Jones Act waiver” language garding a mid-July ruling by Customs & Border Protection from a House version of the National Defense Authoriza- (that was subsequently withdrawn, illustrative of the confu- tion Act (which covers the U.S. Coast Guard) that would sion), “In the ruling, CBP con? rmed the well-understood have slowed down contracting of the foreign ? agged, non- maxim that a foreign installation vessel can install wind

Jones-Act-compliant installation vessels slated to work in tower components so long as the vessel is stationary and

U.S. waters. AWEA urged Congress not to move in the does not ‘transport’ components but is provided those com- direction of such rules (since there are no Jones Act com- ponents from shore via Jones Act quali? ed ‘feeder’ vessels.” pliant installation vessels, which “take years to manufac- As offshore wind advances in the U.S., a long history of ture and cost hundreds of millions of dollars”), saying, offshore oil and gas will provide a guide path. Just as drill- “Offshore wind will mean business for U.S. mariners and ing rigs moved from ? xed positioning (jack-ups) to ? oat- vessels—at least 18 different kinds of vessels are needed to ing (drillships and platforms), so too will offshore wind construct and maintain an offshore wind farm, and U.S.- turbines. At a media brie? ng held in conjunction with the ? agged vessels are available for the vast majority. Tugs, Business Network for Offshore Wind’s International Part-

Dry bulk shipowner Scorpio Bulkers recently signed a letter of intent to purchase a newbuild wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) as a “? rst step in a transition towards a sustainable business in renewable energy”. Scorpio said it expects to sign a $265-$290 million shipbuilding contract with South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) in the fourth quarter of 2020. The deal would include options for up to three additional vessels.

Scorpio Bulkers

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