Green Shipping Line (GSL) has signed an agreement with vessel engineer DEKC Maritime to pursue Jones Act-compliant offshore wind vessel solutions in the USA.
GSL has been creating a viable solution for the US offshore wind market for six years and has amassed a team of leading European and American partners to assist in realising its offshore wind goals, said DEKC. The latest agreement follows a string of deals by GSL, including with Keystone Shipping Company to operate shuttle vessels and a teaming agreement with Moran Iron Works to construct future vessels.
“DEKC’s extensive knowledge and capabilities provide GSL with an ideal partner to design our fleet of modern Jones Act feeder vessels, including our flagship Eleanor model,” said Percy R. Pyne IV, founding partner of GSL. “This agreement furthers our ability to provide efficient, proven, green solutions for offshore wind developers and component manufacturers in the USA.”
Eleanor will be built at Moran Iron Works shipyard in Onaway, Michigan, and operated by Keystone Shipping Company. The model will be available for delivery as soon as mid-2023.
DEKC Maritime said that GSL’s Eleanor model complements its trusted European offshore wind vessel design, which it described as the ‘Swiss army knife’ vessel for the offshore wind industry. With an approval in principle from the American Bureau of Shipping, GSL’s Eleanor model is highly efficient with the ability to transport offshore wind components (towers, nacelles and blades) from a port to installation sites in a two-day cycle, cutting down on costs and production time by over 40 percent, said DEKC.
The company added that it will be the first vessel of its kind in the USA capable of transporting all of the components of a wind tower.
“We look forward to sharing our knowledge and expertise with GSL and helping develop their fleet. Our aim is to take the experience we have gathered over the past decade in offshore wind and utilise it to provide the best vessels and solutions for the emerging US offshore wind market,” said Cor Lettenga, managing director of DEKC Maritime.
