Florida-based shipping company Crowley and Denmark’s ESVAGT will jointly build and operate a service operations vessel under a long-term charter with Siemens Gamesa which will be deployed on the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.

After a competitive review process, Specialist Marine Consultants, an OEG Offshore company was selected by Dominion Energy to deliver a package of marine coordination support encompassing consultancy, training, and lead marine coordination for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project.

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Director Kevin Sligh met with Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project representatives. In recognition of the bureau’s expanded role and authorities for offshore renewable energy oversight, Director Sligh traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, for an overview briefing of Virginia’s first commercial offshore wind project.

Dominion Energy’s 2.6GW wind farm, planned for a site off Virginia in the U.S., is on track and on budget, company executives said in an earnings call this week. "As it relates to the project's execution, it's very much on track and on budget," CEO Robert Blue told analysts.

Achieving the national offshore wind energy goal of 30 gigawatts installed by 2030 will require 2,100 wind turbines, 6,800 miles of cable, thousands of components, hundreds of vessels of different types, as well as lots of helping hands. But how will the United States build up and sustain a domestic supply chain—and workforce—to make it happen? A pair of National Renewable Energy Laboratory reports address this question.

The Department of the Interior announced the transfer of regulations governing offshore renewable energy activities – including workplace safety and environmental compliance – from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

With the creation of a full-fledged U.S. offshore wind industry undoubtedly comes many opportunities for those that own, operate, build and service relevant vessels as developers work toward the nation’s goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. But for every opportunity there are at least a handful of challenges.

Later this year, the Vineyard Wind 1 project will begin delivering electricity to the Massachusetts grid. After that, however, the way ahead for U.S. offshore wind is considerably less clear. The Biden Administration is supportive as ever, pledging last month to expedite permitting to the construction stage for at least 16 offshore wind arrays by 2025.

Off the coast of Portugal, a team of underwater robots is scanning the base of turbines on a wind farm and looking for signs of damage. The activity is part of a project to reduce inspection costs, keep wind turbines running for longer and ultimately reduce the price of electricity.