BMS 1776: An SOV designed to be built in the U.S.A.

SOV is designed to be built in any U.S. yard able to accommodate its hull length

Covington, La., based Baker Marine Solutions (BMS) has released details of the BMS 1776, a wind farm service operation vessel (SOV) designed specifically to be built in the U.S. and to be constructed in any shipyard with sufficient space for the hull length.

The BMS 1776 is designed to ABS class standards and is fully certified to operate in U.S. waters, utilizing U.S. offshore workers.

The construction design eliminates the need for advanced fabrication techniques, such as hot and cold steel rolling. This reduces overall construction costs and reduces the total build time.

As well as being designed for buildability, the BMS 1776 SOV is aimed to help the industry achieve its ambitious net-zero goals and the following steps were taken to reduce carbon emissions in the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the design:

• Hull optimization studies from MARIN increased hull efficiency by 23%, resulting in a top speed of 13.5 knots

• A “digital twin” of the vessel is kept using existing production models, allowing monitoring of the life cycle for every part on board. This results in easy maintenance scheduling while minimizing down time.

• The vessel is specified with a state-of-the-art BlueDrive PlusC system from Siemens to increase safety, cut operational costs, improve lifecycle economics, and decrease the total carbon footprint.

• Variable-speed generators allow engines to run at optimal speed set points based on most-efficient fuel consumption and torque capability.

• An available hybrid battery system can store excess energy and enable peak shaving when required. The battery system further increases redundancy and improves dynamic operation of the engines, while lowering total running hours

• Electric regenerative actuation allows the SOV’s walk-to-work gangway system to decrease energy use by more than 80% when compared to hydraulic power pack-driven models

• Construction using recycled steel reduces emissions by up to 2,625,000 kg of CO2 relative to conventional steel.

• Direct emissions monitoring allows operators to track emissions onboard and remotely in real time.

“With the U.S. offshore wind industry expanding rapidly, U.S. companies must be ready to build SOVs designed specifically for U.S. shipyards to support the installation and maintenance of domestic wind farms,” says BMS president Jim Baker. “The BMS 1776 brings this capability back home.”