GLDD wins major U.S. offshore wind subsea rock installation contract

Great Lakes will load rocks transported along the Hudson River onto its rock installer, Acadia

Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation reports that it has been chosen by Equinor and BP to perform the subsea rock installation work for the Empire Wind I and II wind farms off the U.S. East Coast, in consortium with Van Oord.

Great Lakes will use the first Jones Act compliant subsea rock installation vessel, currently under construction at Philly Shipyard, to install rocks to protect and stabilize monopile foundations, electrical substructures, and export cables, starting with Empire Wind I in the mid-2020s and continuing with Empire Wind II. Van Oord will mobilize its flexible fallpipe vessel, Stornes, to install rock prior to the installation of the monopile foundations.

Great Lakes president and CEO Lasse Petterson commented, “The consortium of Great Lakes with Van Oord combines the experience of Van Oord, the global market leader in subsea rock installation, with Great Lakes, the only U.S. marine contractor to invest in building the first Jones Act compliant fallpipe vessel purpose built for the U.S. offshore wind market. This unique combination offered a competitive advantage in terms of experience, equipment availability, local content, and knowledge of labor and regulatory environments in the U.S.”

Great Lakes says it will be generating local content, employment, and economic activity in the State of New York by purchasing rock from domestic New York quarries, which are in close proximity to the Empire Wind I and II offshore wind farm sites. The company is working closely with NYSERDA on New York state supply chain development and will be using the GLDD marine base in Staten Island, N.Y., for its site operations.

“This award by Equinor and BP solidifies Great Lakes’ entry into the U.S. offshore wind market with a major project award for one of the flagship offshore wind developments for the State of New York,” said Eleni Beyko, senior vice president-offshore wind at Great Lakes. “We are very happy to support New York in building a more sustainable future. We have a long track record working with the state and the local unions and supply chains, having executed dredging projects in New York for many decades. Our goal now is to contribute to building the U.S. offshore wind industry, while creating local employment and economic activity in the state.”