Edison Chouest Offshore - Experts & Thought Leaders

The first U.S.-flagged Jones Act offshore wind farm service operation vessel (SOV) was christened and launched in a ceremony at the Port of New Orleans. The ABS-classed ECO Edison was engineered and constructed by Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) for long-term charter to service offshore wind farms in the northeast United States. EPA Tier 4 emission standards ECO will operate the 80-metre-long vessel, which is capable of housing 70 passengers/wind turbine technicians. The SOV operates on diesel-electric power meeting EPA Tier 4 emission standards and features a proprietary ECO Variable Frequency Drive to substantially reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Domestic renewable energy production “ABS is committed to supporting the U.S. offshore wind industry, helping our partners and clients throughout the full life cycle of their projects. This is an exciting milestone not only for Edison Chouest but also for domestic renewable energy production,” said Rob Langford, ABS Vice President, Global Offshore Wind. "ABS remains a trusted partner for offshore wind stakeholders by delivering advisory and technical review solutions that help minimise risk and enhance safety for offshore wind projects." ECO EDISON Michael Braid, ECO Vice President for Renewable Energy, said, “ECO has enjoyed working with the ABS teams on over 190 newbuild vessel projects over the last 40 years and throughout that time both parties have enhanced the relationship year by year."  "No matter if we have a simple project, or a technologically complex new project, such as the ECO EDISON and the upcoming Maersk ATBs, we know that ABS is there to fully support us in all phases of the project.” Supporting new vessels As a provider of classification services for the global offshore industry, ABS is in a unique position to support the variety of new vessels serving the fixed and floating offshore wind farm turbine market, from wind turbine installation vessels, rock installation, service operation vessels, and cable laying vessels to floating heavy lift construction vessels.

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 ABS-classed WTIV to remain on location, promising faster wind farm installations. Offshore wind components Designed to serve the U.S. offshore wind market, the novel articulated tug/barge (ATB) connection system uses the 900-square-metre barge decks to transport offshore wind components for the latest generation of 15 MW wind turbines, including nacelle, blades and upper tower sections, to the WTIV with the tugs providing power and thrusters. Bollinger Shipyards will construct the feeder fleet and delivery is expected by 2026 Bollinger Shipyards will construct the feeder fleet and delivery is expected by 2026. “These innovative vessels are going to make a critical contribution to the rapid development of U.S. offshore wind capacity. They are the latest additions to a proud list of advanced vessels now in service and under construction that will serve the emerging U.S. offshore wind industry,” said Rob Langford, ABS Vice President, Global Offshore Wind. U.S. offshore wind market Dino Chouest of ECO said: “We are very excited about the added value that this advanced feedering solution brings to the offshore wind industry, and that this represents a meaningful expansion of our footprint in the space with a highly reputable partner such as Maersk Supply Service.” “Our partnership with Edison Chouest Offshore demonstrates our long-term commitment to the U.S. offshore wind market. Now we look forward to implementing our market-changing technology to accelerate the rollout of offshore wind and bringing value to our customers,” said Michael Reimer Mortensen, Chief Commercial Officer for Maersk Supply Service. Variety of new vessels As the major provider of classification services for the global offshore industry, ABS is in a unique position to support the variety of new vessels serving the fixed and floating offshore wind farm turbine market, from wind turbine installation vessels, rock installation, service operation vessels, and cable laying vessels to floating heavy lift construction vessels. ABS remains a trusted partner for offshore wind stakeholders by delivering advisory and technical review solutions that help minimise risk and enhance safety for offshore wind projects.

ABS is working with Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO), a globally renowned offshore support vessel (OSV) operator with nearly 300 vessels, on its decarbonisation journey with greenhouse gas inventory and sustainability reporting services. 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, a comprehensive materiality assessment, report writing and graphic design. Edison Chouest’s sustainability goals In 2024, ABS and ECO intend to continue this collaboration with ABS providing additional technical reporting guidance. “This iterative approach is a cornerstone of the ABS ESG service, assisting clients in developing the internal expertise to eventually perform the entire process independent of outside support. I am proud that ABS can use its technical expertise to support Edison Chouest’s sustainability goals,” said Panos Koutsourakis, ABS Vice President, Global Sustainability. “It’s ECO and ABS’s collective commitment to transparency and environmental and social stewardship that led us to collaborate with ABS on sustainability reports that set a new standard in corporate responsibility,” said Bryan Rousse, ECO Sustainability Coordinator.