Chouest News

The Coast Guard gets its first new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years.The Coast Guard has accepted its first new polar icebreaker in more than 25 years, but it’s not really new. The 12,900-ton, 360-foot Anchor Handling Tug Support Ship (AHTS) Aiviq was acquired by the Coast Guard and renamed USCGC Storis (WAGB 21).According to a Coast Guard statement, “On Nov. 20, the Coast Guard purchased the M/V Aiviq, a 360-foot U.S.-built polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker for $125 million in a deal with Offshore Surface Vessels LLC.

The Coast Guard announced it accepted ownership of the motor vessel Aiviq, a 360-foot polar class 3-equivalent icebreaker, from an Edison Chouest Offshore subsidiary Friday.The vessel, acquired Dec. 11, will enhance U.S. operational presence in the Arctic and support Coast Guard missions while awaiting delivery of the Polar Security Cutter (PSC) class.Upon commissioning, the ship will be renamed Coast Guard Cutter Storis (WAGB 21), marking the second cutter to bear that name. The original Storis, known as the “Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast,” had a storied history conducting icebreaking operations in Alaska and the Arctic.“This acquisition is a vital step in increasing our operational presence in the Arctic,” said Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the Coast Guard.

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) affiliate C-Innovation (C-I) on Monday announced it has signed a new three-year contract with bp for field development, and inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) work.The contract, which has options for two one-year extensions, is for the provision of two subsea construction vessels, C-Constructor and Holiday, and access to a fleet of specialized subsea and supply vessels. It also includes project management, engineering, equipment, logistics and port services.

Amidst sensational headlines and questionable policy decisions from Washington, D.C., the U.S. offshore energy sector stands resilient. This vital industry not only powers our nation with reliable energy but also enables hundreds of thousands of jobs across all 50 states and strengthens national security. From the Gulf of Mexico to the burgeoning offshore wind farms along the East Coast, the resilience and innovation of this sector are critical to driving economic growth and ensuring our nation’s energy security.The Gulf of Mexico has long been a cornerstone of U.S.

Early 2024 saw a group of financial deals that have implications, in a broad sense, for how offshore wind projects may be financed. While offshore wind projects might be thought of as being in the ‘utility finance’ basket, they are ultimately high-risk deals that might better suit the portfolios of ‘infrastructure investment’ which, in recent years, has taken a shift towards tolerating more uncertainty when it comes to cash flows.A 2022 article from consultants McKinsey, titled “Infrastructure investing will never be the same”…

A new feeder fleet of two tugs and two barges dedicated to serving a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) from Maersk Supply Service (MSS) has been ordered by Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) to ABS class.The innovative system is designed to deliver components to the construction site, allowing the WTIV to remain on location, promising faster wind farm installations. The WTIV will also be ABS-classed.Designed to serve the U.S. offshore wind market, the novel articulated tug/barge…

The first-ever American-built, owned, and crewed offshore wind service operations vessel (SOV) was christened during a ceremony on Saturday in the Port of New Orleans.Edison Chouest Offshore's (ECO) recently completed ECO Edison will play an integral part of the operation and maintenance of Ørsted and Eversource’s South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind projects as the U.S. offshore wind industry continues to ramp up in the U.S. Northeast.Built at ECO in-house shipyards in Louisiana…

If nothing else, building vessels in the U.S. is a complicated business.In a session on the domestic shipbuilding marketplace, at Marine Money’s late-November 2023 conference held in New Orleans, Ben Bordelon, president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards (with more than a dozen facilities, in Mississippi and Louisiana), described his company’s architecture as a “three-legged stool approach: commercial newbuilds, government newbuilds and repair/conversion capabilities”.On the same panel…

The U.S. Interior Department on Tuesday approved the country's eighth commercial-scale offshore wind project, which will be built off the coast of Massachusetts, bringing online electricity to power more than 900,000 homes.The approval for Avangrid’s New England Wind Project brings the U.S. one-third of the way to President Joe Biden's goal of permitting 30 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030—a key part of the president's climate change agenda.The project comes just a week after the Interior Department approved another offshore wind project, Orsted's Sunrise Wind, in New York.

Industry trade group the Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) announced the addition of four CEOs to its board of directors.The new board members include Wes Bordelon, Chief Executive Officer, Bordelon Marine; Stacy Jo Stanley, Chief Executive Officer, Offshore Oil Services, Inc.; David Dantin, Chief Executive Officer, Odyssea Marine; and Lasse Petterson, Chief Executive Officer, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock."With the addition of these four executive leaders, OMSA pays homage to its roots while welcoming expanded opportunities in emerging energy frontiers…

Danish offshore marine services company Maersk Supply Service and U.S. vessel owner Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) have partnered up for the construction and operation of a windfarm feeder concept specifically designed for Maersk Supply Service’s next-generation wind installation vessel (WIV).The purpose-built feeder spread includes two tugs and two barges to be delivered in 2026. They will be owned and operated by ECO and constructed by Bollinger Shipyards – the largest privately-owned shipyard group in the United States.As a key component to the installation process…

The United States’ Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved the Construction and Operations Plan (COP) for Equinor’s Empire Wind project, marking another milestone in advancing the New York offshore wind project.With this permitting action by BOEM secured, Empire Wind is on track to begin construction in its federal lease area off the southern coast of Long Island later this year. Already well advanced in planning and development, Empire Wind 1 could deliver first power to New Yorkers by 2026.

An affiliate of Edison Chouest Offshore has withdrawn its application for financing under the U.S. Maritime Administration's (MARAD) Title XI program.Title XI is a government loan program with the Federal Financing Bank as the lender. It is intended to promote the growth and modernization of the United States' merchant fleet and shipyards by offering repayment terms and interest rates that are generally better than those available from the commercial lending market.ECO Edison…

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) in December issued a final rule updating its financial requirements for the Federal Ship Financing Program, commonly referred to as Title XI. While the move applies to the U.S. maritime industry as a whole, it is seen as especially helpful for players looking to serve the U.S. offshore wind sector.Designed to promote the growth and modernization of the U.S. merchant marine and U.S. shipyards, Title XI provides for a full faith and credit guarantee by the U.S. government. The program essentially aims to encourage U.S.

A ‘Connected Future’ seminar, organized by Inmarsat in collaboration with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News and moderated by Greg Trauthwein, encapsulated the critical roles technology and data sharing play in enabling more efficient and sustainable workboat operations, and in improving conditions for crew.Insights from leading Offshore Supply Vessel owners and operators capture the extent to which technology and data sharing are driving greater efficiency, sustainability and…

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) has recently announced an amendment to the Federal Ship Financing Program, commonly referred to as Title XI. The amendments have aligned the program’s financial requirements and tests with common current federal credit and maritime lending best practices. In particular, the amendments aim to move away from inflexible static metrics and Title XI’s limited amortization requirements. The amendments respond to concerns that previous terms acted as a barrier to some companies seeking to apply for Title XI support.

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) affiliate C-Innovation (C-I) has welcomed back Lucas Cribley as its new business development manager.During his more than 20-year career, Cribley worked as the program manager and first employee in a joint venture start-up between ECO and FMC Technologies, in which he secured and managed major Inspection, Maintenance, & Repair (IMR), light construction, and Riserless Light Well Intervention (RWLI) projects. As a senior manager at TechnipFMC, Cribley…

ABS is working with offshore support vessel operator Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) on its decarbonization journey with greenhouse gas inventory and sustainability reporting services. ECO has nearly 300 vessels.ABS specialists have been working with the ECO team since 2022 providing a gap analysis for the ECO environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Framework.This led to a full sustainability reporting project in 2023, where ABS supplied technical guidance on the GRI Framework…

The first turbine has been installed at the South Fork Wind Farm offshore New York, developer Ørsted announced on Monday.The first of South Fork Wind’s 12 Siemens Gamesa wind turbine generators was hoisted into place by the offshore construction team at the project site 35 miles off Montauk, N.Y. Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel, the Aeolus, is installing the turbines. Turbine installation involves using a crane to place the steel turbine tower onto the foundation. The nacelle and rotor are then installed on top of the tower.

UK-based Harland & Wolff Group said Tuesday that its recently opened Miami-based office had been awarded its first contract for circa $1.5 million.Under the contract, the company will support TampaShip - part of the Edison Chouest Group, based in Tampa, Florida - in the completion of the construction of a floating dock for the Bollinger shipyard facility in the Gulf of Mexico.Fabrication work has started and is expected to be completed within the next three months."The company is very active in building its pipeline of opportunities in the USA.

An offshore wind industry is growing in the U.S. with an aim to meet the Biden Administration’s goal of 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind by 2030, and eventually 110 GW by 2050.But as is the case for any new industry that is building up, there are going to be bumps along the way. The U.S. offshore wind industry is currently grappling with rising costs amid unprecedented supply chain issues and inflation, among other issues.One of the main challenges unique to offshore wind is a shortage of vessels.

It’s a big deal when a U.S. president visits an American shipyard, and these trips always send a message. When President Obama spoke at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in 2013, he warned of the consequences of sequestration. President Trump’s 2020 speech at Fincantieri Marinette Marine touted a $5.5 billion naval contract that gave a welcome boost to the Wisconsin shipyard and its supply chain partners. Most recently, President Biden traveled to Philadelphia’s Philly Shipyard…

The keel has been laid for the United States' first plug-in hybrid service operation vessel (SOV) at Edison Chouest Offshore's (ECO) LaShip Shipyard in Houma, La.Louisiana-based ECO has a 10-year charter agreement to operate the SOV for Empire Offshore Wind, a joint venture between Equinor and BP, starting form the mid-2020s.The 262-foot-long vessel will accommodate up to 60 wind turbine technicians for operations and maintenance work at the Empire Wind 1 and Empire Wind 2 offshore wind farms off the coast of Long Island…