Page 34: of Marine News Magazine (October 2023)

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Feature

Offshore is 280 feet, meaning there are no large (+300-foot) PSVs currently in stack amid an uptick in an offshore oil and gas sector that shows no signs of slowing down. “It’s not easy

I I In n n n n E E E E Eu u u ur r r ro o o o op p p p p p pe e, , , v ve e es s s ss s s s se e e el l l ls s s s to just bring up PSVs from cold stack and bring them into renewables because [those that are available] are not the c c c c c c c c c c c ca a a a a a a a a a an n n n n n n n n n n n r r r r r r r r r r re e e e e e e e e e ep p p p p p p p p p pr r r r r r r r r re e e e e e e e e es s s s s s s s se e e e e e e e en n n n n n n nt t t t t t t t t t a a a a as s s large ones you need for the work scopes,” Lints said.

Making matters worse for offshore wind, oil and gas ac- m m m m m mu u u uc c c c ch h h h h a a a a as s s s s s 8 8 8 8 8 8 8- - -1 1 1 1 1 15 5 5 5 5% % % % % % % % % % o o o o o o o of f f f f f f f f tivity has been increasing, and vessel dayrates have risen in step with oil prices, leaving little incentive to transition t t t th h h h h he e e e c c c ca a a ap p p p pe e ex x x f f f f f fo o o or r r r a a a an n outside of a market where the work has been readily avail- able and pro? table for multipurpose PSVs (MPSV) and off fsh h ho o or r r re e e e e e w w w w w w wi i i i i i in n n n nd d d d d d f f f f f fa a a a a ar r r r r r rm m m m m m. . . other support vessels, including subsea. “We’ve had some MPSVs migrate over to the renew-

V V V Ve e e es s s s ss s s s s se e e e e el l l l l l l ls s s s s s s s a a a a a a a ar r r r r r r re e e e e e e e e g g g g g g g g g g g ge e e e e e e e e en n n n n n n n ne e e e e e e e e er r r r r r r ra a a a a a a al l l l l l l l l l l l ll l l l l l l l l l l ly y y y y y y y y y y ables space, but not a huge amount because of the day- rates that they’re getting in the oil and gas markets,” Lints c c c c co o o o o o os s s s st t t t t tl l l l li i i ie e e e er r r r r i i i in n n n t t t th h h he e e U U U. .S S S. . said. “That’s having an impact on the cost, etc. of bring- ing some of these subsea vessels to do the support work in renewables.”

Some of the Jones Act MPSVs that have gone north for offshores wind include Otto Candies’ Cade Candies and

Paul Candies, which relocated to the East Coast contracts that are more than a year long. Additional vessels such as

Ross Candies and Wyatt Candies are also anticipated to leave the U.S. Gulf of Mexico to support offshore wind,

Lints said. And Hydra’s Subsea Responder I & II, while smaller and not U.S. ? agged, are working as more commer- cially viable options for inspection campaigns in support of

Dominion’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.

Lints also pointed to a shortage of large subsea construc- tion vessels for support work. “Subsea vessels are needed not for the big lifting of foundations,” he said. “It’s may- be installing concrete mattresses, it might be picking up boulders, it might be identifying [unexploded ordnance (UXO)] . . . cable lay support, trenching, grouting.”

This additional work sometimes gets overlooked, Lints said. “A lot of these vessels weren’t necessarily planned when looking at construction of the wind farm. I think that’s something that the U.S. market needs to be ready for,” he explained. “What happens when things go wrong?

Unfortunately, they do, or there’s delays, and other vessels and contingency needs to happen. But whether we have that contingency at the moment, I think, is going to be part of the challenge.” © Ian Dyball / Adobe Stock 34 | MN October 2023