Page 32: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2020)

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Wärtsilä

Vard tugs and barges, in Rhode Island back in environment. Despite the cost-effective SOV’s, which it markets in conjunction 2006. Fast forward a dozen years later, size, the operability is close to that of with its packages which integrate the the Block Island Wind project (at 30 most larger SOVs.” Vard’s Offshore bridge, engine room and other increas-

MW - the ? rst functioning windfarm in renewables team, based in Norway, ex- ingly complex systems. As projects

U.S. waters, now in the Ørsted portfo- plains that it is “offering vessel solutions move into deeper waters, and heavier lio) is now online, and Rhode Island is for the entire offshore renewables value turbines become the norm, the nature well positioned to become a hub. Wind- chain, including offshore wind, tidal and of vessel demand is likely tilted towards

Serve Marine was established by Rein- wave power. newbuilds, with Wärtsilä saying, “In auer to support the burgeoning projects. This includes wind farm support ves- the U.S. offshore wind farm market,

WindServe’s shipyard facility in Quon- sels with high focus on ef? cient logis- the operators are preparing for the pos- set Point, on Narragansett Bay, played a tics, crew and technician comfort, and sibility of building type-speci? c SOVs role in the construction of Block Island high operability.” Vard designed vessels that can accommodate the usually land-

Wind, where parts were transported out include platform supply vessels, anchor based wind turbine technicians while to the construction site. Activities in- handlers and subsea construction ves- conducting the maintenance of the off- cluded out? tting the feeder barge with sels. Its offshore service vessels include shore wind farms,” says Blake Jackson, dynamic positioning system and cable the Bravante series (built at Eastern a U.S.-based sales manager for Wärtsilä reel, fabricating and out? tting a jack- Shipbuilding, in Florida) and its multi- Marine Business. up vessel with blade transfer outriggers, purpose vessels (built at the same yard) and handling various quayside storage include a pair built for Harvey Marine.

Aqueous and lifting operations. Its designs are also found in Hornbeck’s Looking further down the coast, as de-

OSV ? eet. velopment shifts into the mid-Atlantic

Vard states, Aqueos Corporation, with an

European expertise will be vital for of? ce in southern Louisiana where it Wärtsilä the U.S. However, as activity ramps up This Helsinki-based solutions provider is well known for subsea work in the on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf, for the marine and energy segments has oil and construction sectors, complet-

Jones Act compliant service vessels will been at the forefront of recent develop- ed a diving contract for support of the be needed. Vard, through its engineer- ments in optimized vessel performance, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. ing and naval architectural arm based and has been taking a long-term view on While this project (to be operational by in British Columbia (and a part of the developments in the burgeoning wind late 2020) is starting small, with two

Fincantieri Group) won Approval in power sector. In April, 2020, Wärtsilä Siemens turbines of 6 MW each, the

Principle from the American Bureau of explained in a presentation: “The op- participation of Aqueos provides a tan-

Shipping, in late 2019, for a service ves- portunities for SOV and large instal- gible example of offshore oil expertise sel that would be compatible with Jones lation vessels fall into two categories: transitioning to offshore wind. Indeed,

Act requirements. The vessel design is retro? tting and new builds. Much of in its announcement of its work off- a bespoke version of Vard’s 4 07 ser- the opportunity for conversions/retro? t shore Virginia, a company executive ex- vice operation vessel (SOV), with the projects is in the U.S. market, as strong plained, “We capitalized on our years of standard design described as “a suitable growth continues there.” When it comes experience in the oil? elds of the Gulf of vessel for small wind parks in harsher to newbuilds, Wärtsilä has a design for Mexico.”

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