close
close

Large wind turbine installation vessel plans visit to New London

July 20, 2024 3:45 PM • Last Updated: July 20, 2024 3:45 PM

Wind Scylla, a massive ship scheduled to arrive at State Pier in New London on July 23, 2024, will be used to install turbines at the Revolution Wind project, center. (The Day file)

New London ― In Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis were sea creatures who preyed on unsuspecting sailors.

They are also the names of two monstrous offshore wind installation vessels. One of them, the 459-foot Wind Scylla, is en route to New London.

The wind turbine installation vessel is expected to dock at State Pier on July 23 for two days to pick up crew and supplies for Ørsted and Eversource’s Revolution Wind offshore wind project.

Scylla is owned by Cadeler, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based company that owns a fleet of offshore wind installation vessels and earlier this year signed a long-term contract with Ørsted for future projects.

Wind Scylla features a 457-metre crane and 105-metre long legs, enabling installation of wind turbine components in water depths of more than 60 metres.

Wind Scylla would be used to install turbines at Revolution Wind, a 65-turbine offshore wind farm that had its first foundation installed in May. The 704-megawatt farm, which will produce enough energy to power 350,000 homes, is the nation’s first multi-state project and will supply power to both Connecticut and Rhode Island.

State Pier in New London is currently the staging area for the Revolution Wind Farm, the first wind farm to deliver 304 megawatts of wind energy to Connecticut.

Wind Scylla can carry five to seven complete turbine sets, depending on their size.

Because it is a foreign-flagged vessel, Ulysses Hammond, interim director of the Connecticut Port Authority, said in an email this week that the Scylla cannot load offshore wind components.

The federal Merchant Marine Act of 1920, better known as the Jones Act, requires that all cargo shipped from a U.S. port be on a U.S.-built vessel. Ørsted previously had a contract with Dominion for the use of its 472-foot Charybdis, the first U.S.-built wind turbine installation vessel.

The contract was cancelled earlier this year when it became clear that the vessel, which was more than a year behind schedule, would not be ready for Ørsted’s use in time. Ørsted said at the time that it had secured an alternative vessel and that the wind turbine components would be transported to the wind farm site using smaller vessels.

“This is a significant event for State Pier and the state of Connecticut,” Hammond said in a statement. “Large vessels have been arriving to deliver offshore wind components since last year following State Pier’s transformation into a world-class marine terminal, but the arrival of a unique vessel like Wind Scylla is further evidence of the vital role State Pier and Connecticut play in this new American industry.”

Following the completion of Revolution Wind, State Pier will house the next components for Sunrise Wind, an 84-turbine project.

[email protected]

Related Posts